Sooner Or Later
by simphony
Summary: Season two with a twist: Back from tour, Jude is shocked to find out that Tommy and Sadie are still dating. Hurt and heartbroken, she tries to get over Tommy by dating someone else. Tommy, however, realizes that Jude means a lot more to him than he had thought. Heartbreak, love, romance, attraction, sadness, sex, a bet, and a some funny situations. Jude/Tommy. Give it a try! :)
1. Chapter 1 and 2

**Chapter one**

The door of the bus had not fully opened yet but Jude already brightly smiled at her welcome boys. Both Tommy and Jamie had shown up, and she was surprised just how happy she was to see them again. During the last six weeks she had been on tour, busy and excited about all the concerts that had awaited her, but now she was just plain relieved to be home again. She missed her bed, her pillow, a shower with actual space to move in and - most importantly - missed having someone who took care of her. During the tour, she had been responsible for nearly everything herself.

Responsibility wasn't something Jude was opposed to. Not at all. But, she wasn't prepared for that sort of thing yet. That had shown pretty quickly when the whole tour bus was out of food after no one had bothered to shop in one of the several stops they had passed. Then, on a deserted highway with no shop or gas station around, she and the band had gotten hungry and in the end they had nearly killed themselves over accusations whose fault it had been not having gotten food.

The door of the bus was open and Jude was delighted. "Guys," she smiled, suddenly overwhelmed by exhaustion as it dawned on her she was finally home again, "I missed you both so very much!" Jamie was the first to get a hug. Before Jude had left for her tour, he had asked her out on a date. A few days later Jude had called him and for an hour and a half explained to him why she just couldn't risk their friendship for a relationship when she wasn't even sure that what she felt for Jamie came so much as close to being in love.

"Missed you too, Jude." Jamie returned the hug, tried to fight the urge to hold her longer than he should, and then retreated. He was still trying to get over her. She might not feel the sparkles, but he felt them clearly. Stepping away, he left her to Tommy and went to greet the members of SME, who had already busied themselves with unpacking the bus. It would take a while until he could be 'just' a friend again.

"Harrison," Tommy said, almost carefully. They had not parted on good ways. The last time he had seen her, she had found out about his thing with her sister. He had only rarely spoken with Jude ever since. He also still had to tell her that that 'thing' with Sadie had developed into something that was almost scarily close to a relationship. He wasn't sure he was ready for that, let alone if he even wanted that. But, he did know that Jude wouldn't be happy to hear. Not being happy would be the best-case scenario.

Jude warmly smiled at him, walking right into his arms to go for the embrace she had waited for, so long. "Hi Quincy. Missed ya!" Her slender arms wrapped firmly and without hesitation around his torso as her nose dug into the curve where his shoulder met his neck. She inhaled deeply.

He held her firmly. It wasn't right to hug her like this. He knew it. He was dating another woman and he knew that Jude had some unresolved feelings for him. He might push the thought of that out of his head most of the times, but he couldn't ignore it when she was this close to him. He could feel it in the way she clung to him. It was palpable when she ventured past the personal boundaries of mere friendship. But he never put distance between them. He never made an effort to remind them of boundaries. Instead he let it happen and, worse, even took some pleasure in it. Only this time he knew that it could be the last time that he was having her in his arms. The moment she would find out the truth about him and Sadie, he'd have to pay a price, one he wasn't sure he really wanted to pay. "Hey, Girl. How was tour?"

Enjoying this an inadequate moment longer than necessary, as always waiting for him to end their embrace, she eventually gave up his warm arms. "Good." Her face lit up. "No, it was freakin' awesome!" She squealed in a rush of excitement.

He was genuinely happy for her, knowing that the first tour for an artist was always like hundred Christmases at once. "Good to hear. Sorry I rarely called. We need to talk. Really talk…"

"I know. I'm sorry for the way I left. I shouldn't gone without clearing the air." She nervously fidgeted with her nails, "I know that you and I…won't happen…I'm coming to terms with that…I mean I have to! What I'm trying to say is that…I'm really glad you and Sadie aren't dating. I know you're not mine, but knowing that you're hers…I don't think I could handle. After all, there's so much…" Jude struggled for the right words. "There are these confusing feelings between us and…"

He gulped, virtually feeling his last courage slip away, along with his breath. "Yeah…um…" He was a coward deep down, always had been. "I shouldn't have let you leave without goodbye. Or without clarifying a few things."

Jude suspiciously looked at him. "You aren't dating her, are you?" She found him avoiding eye contact and feared she might have said too much. If he were dating Sadie, than she'd be hurt, that was for sure, but she wouldn't have let him in on her feelings, either! "Are you?"

"No! Confusing feelings, remember?" And there it went. A fat lie. Why had he just said that? Wasn't a simple lie enough? Did it have to become a very big one? Wedging his way even deeper into a web of untruths, he shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm not dating anyone."

Jude responded with a bright smile, alongside a shy blush. So he felt the confusion, too. Did that mean he was admitting to feelings? "Good. So, you and I are good again? No fighting, no problems?"

Wrapping his arm around her shoulder, he pulled her with him towards the car, ruffling her hair. "You and me, take two. We got an album to record, starting tomorrow, so we better not have any problems!" Yeah, he really was a coward! In that moment he cared more about her good mood, and about making sure that the next days would go smoothly than he cared to tell the truth.

Jude settled into the car, adjusting the seat so she could get perfectly comfortable. It was a Cobra, obviously new for she hadn't seen the car before. "Nice ride. Why are you picking me up? Don't I have parents anymore," she wondered, mildly hurt. She hadn't minded Tommy and Jamie being the first she'd see, but no parent at all? Or sister?

"Busy. Your mom called me earlier, asking me to bring you over. They're busy divorcing," he explained, wanting her to be prepared.

Jude flinched, having loved not having to deal with that problem. "How'd you know?" It was odd that he knew. He had nothing to do with her family, especially while she wasn't around.

"Oh…uhm…I ran into Sadie the other day." More like had a couple of dates with her…

"Oh." Jude barely contained her chagrin. "So she's still trying to hit on you? How, by trying to score pity? Does she never get a cue? Seriously, you gave her a shot and she failed to interest you. What else does she need to see she's not having any chances with you?"

"I don't know," he lied. Again. He hated lying to Jude. Experience had told him it always came out. Now all he had to figure out how to prevent a catastrophe. "I haven't seen her since she left for Italy a month ago." Except for that one weekend, where he had flown to Rome because Sadie had begged him to visit her. Pouting women had always been one of his weaknesses.

"Right, Italy." That explained why Sadie had barely called her. Jude had completely forgotten! "Anyway, I'm glad you picked me up. I can't wait to start working again. I've filled two whole journals on tour with songs, and I need your opinion on all of them! I don't think my first album was so good. It was barely mentioned in any magazines!"

Another thing he yet had to let her in on. "About that." He stopped the car at a secluded spot on the road, wanting to look at her and give her more attention than he could while driving. Jude was questioningly watching Tommy, not sure why he had stopped. "You need to know some things, Jude. First, and I'm sorry about that, your album…flunked. Record sales are low and… In consequence of not being able to pay her bills any longer, Georgia sold G-Major to Darius."

Jude slouched down into the seat. "Oh. Did she have to sell because of me?" It wouldn't be fair if she had to do that, Jude thought.

"No, don't worry. It was a long row of things that caused her to sell. She was already doing badly before the contest. It's a small label, and it's a tough time right now for record labels. You did your best. We both did. The songs we produced were great. Just not what the audience wanted. But, D took your contract over. He's letting you produce the new album and I'm sure it'll become a success. I make sure of that," he promised.

Having expected something like that already, the blow of being told wasn't quite as hard for Jude. She reached for his hand to give it a little squeeze. The contact startled him. Not the touch, but the things it caused in him. "Hey, it's okay. It's one flunked album. Not the end of us working together! You and me, take two. Remember?"

"I know." It amazed him how mature she could be in moments like these. He returned the squeeze, bringing one of those small but cute smiles to her lips. "We'll make your next album work. I believe in you, Jude." Maybe it wasn't just his trust in her talent that had him so reassuring. Partially, and he was sure of that, he was also guilt-stricken and tried to lessen his bad conscience by being a better friend to her than he had ever been before.

"Now take me home, Quincy. I miss my pop tarts!" And just like that, she was sixteen-year old Jude again. He chuckled, held her hand for just one second longer and then started the car, taking her home. It was going to be a long day.

###

"So this is the new G-Major, huh?" Jude awed the fancy new interior that had moved in along with Darius. After a brief stop home, Tommy had taken her here. "Nice furniture!"

"Wait till you see the new soundboard," Tommy enticed. He might not be happy about the fact that he had to work with his former boss again, but D's money did bring some perks. "And, I forgot to mention," he almost sheepishly remarked passing a poster for that night's events, "The new Instant Star finale is taking place tomorrow. You'll be singing!"

"What?!" Jude stopped dead in her tracks. "I have to sing at my own funeral?"

"Your what?" Guess she had exploited her amount of maturity for the day. "It's not replacement. It's follow up!"

"It's another person fighting for my fans! And, I assume you'll be producing the new Instant Star?" Tommy nodded. "Just great," Jude sighed, covering her face with her hands to rub the frustration away. "So much for a great new start!"

"Stop the dramatic," Tommy told her. "It's not that bad. Just go there tomorrow, play the song, and have fun!"

"The song," Jude repeated. "As in there's a song someone already picked for me?"

"Stupid girl."

Now Jude was angry. "What did you just call me?!"

Tommy began to growl. "It's the title of your new song. D's waiting for you!" He gave Jude a gentle nudge towards the big wooden door and she timidly entered, fearing the worst.

Jude walked out of Darius' office a few minutes later. Her good mood had taken a fierce beating and was now struggling for its very survival. She had to sing a cover song and not just tomorrow at the finale, but already this afternoon. D was having his annual 'All Red'-party. Jude was contractually obliged to go there, and also wear red. All of that had just been dumped on her. So much for early sleep, she concluded sadly and with a yawn. She found Tommy in the studio, recording with Kwest. Sneaking in, she covered his eyes, leaning close to his head. "Who's this?"

"Louisa, I'm busy. Not now."

"Who's Louisa?"

"No one." Tommy turned around and jumped out of his chair, giving Jude his best charming smile. "Just some crazy receptionist. How was talking to Big D?" When he heard Kwest snickering at the side, he swiftly kicked his friend's shin with one foot.

Kwest got the clue and immediately left the room.

Tommy should have known it wasn't Louisa, but Jude. She was the only girl who had ever managed to trigger that very confusing tingle on his skin when her breath crashed against it.

Jude watched the whole scene in mild irritation, but her mind was too busy coming to terms with all the new changes that she didn't have enough brain left to make sense of Tommy's odd behavior. Not when she hadn't had slept for over twenty-four hours! "Darius was nice, in a bossy, demanding sort of way. I'll have to sing, or I'm fired."

"Tell me about it." Tommy had heard a similar line from D, too. Just no singing, but obliging.

Jude was just about to tell him what else D had informed her about, when she spotted her sister coming through the door. "Sadie!" Jude quickly went to hug her. "You really didn't have to come all the way here to say 'hi'! But, I'm happy you did. How was Italy? Did you meet any cute guys?"

Sadie had expected to see Jude here, but she had not expected that sort of welcome. "Guys?"

"Yeah, guys," Tommy chimed in. His eyes pleaded to her, hoping she'd get the cue and wouldn't tell Jude about them. "You know, Italian men? Met any?"

Jude laughed, hearing Tommy being so interested. She figured he was hoping for her to have moved past him. "Yeah, come on! How was your trip?"

"Exhausting," she started wearily. "No one was home so I had to bring all my stuff here. Look, can I tell you about Italy tonight? I just want to go home and take a shower. And, I need your key for that."

"Sure," Jude told her, handing the key over. "Want me to call you a cab?"

Sadie waited for Tommy, who reluctantly offered to take her home. "I can do it. I need to make a run anyway. The party is later, and I still need to change. You," he addressed Jude, "need to rehearse. SME is in Studio B, waiting for you. Just do what Darius told you, okay? We both need the next weeks to go smoothly. With your first album on the rocks, you need to score some points first before you start making him trouble."

"I'm a nice girl," she pointed out, offended. "I have no idea what you're talking about!"

"Just do it, okay?"

Jude nodded defeated. Sadie was already on her way towards the lobby, and out, when Jude held Tommy back. Her hand caught his upper arm, softly touching it while telling him, "It's really nice of you to take her home."

He forced himself to smile, instead of running away. Not only was he scared to admit the truth to Jude, but also had her return causing weird things to happen in him. It wasn't the first time she touched him today, and he began to develop a liking for her touch. That wasn't supposed to happen. Hadn't he started dating Sadie to prevent exactly that? "Sure. No problem." He wasn't certain what to do just then. Staying with Jude and feeling guilty and confused, or heading for his car and facing what he assumed would be one angry Sadie. She had told him to tell Jude already, and he had yet to do so. Maybe he could hide in the men's room for a while?

###

"Why haven't you told her yet," Sadie quickly shot the moment Tommy entered the car. "I hate lying to my sister. You said you'd tell her the moment she came back. What happened – you swallowed your tongue?"

"Calm down, okay!" He hated when women made big problems out of small issues. He also hated when women reminded him that issues were indeed big and needed to be addressed. "I'll tell her when I have the chance. You can't really expect me to ambush her with that the moment she's back from tour. Jude's tired and exhausted, but she has two gigs coming up. It won't hurt you to keep this thing between us for yourself another few days, will it? By the way, you didn't have any problems lying to your sister when she wasn't around!"

"I want to be able to be with my boyfriend! What about the party later? Is she the reason I'm not invited? So you don't have to watch your back?"

"You're not invited because I'm not there as a guest. I'm there to work! As will Jude. If I drop this about us on her now, she'll hardly be able to nail the performance, but she needs to, and so I'm not telling her. And I can't just invite women to parties that my boss is throwing. I'm not a guest. I'm his employee!"

"Just great!" The first tears fell from her eyes, but Sadie wasn't sure if they came from his hurting words or from her inner anger. "It's really nice to know who is more important to you."

"I'm not having this discussion with you," he barked, "I'm dating you, aren't I?" For the rest of the ride, both stayed silent.

###

Darius had informed them that Jude's performance during the party that afternoon was going to be recorded as a live track, along with every other one's, to go with the next SOLID issue as a freebee. Tommy nervously shifted in his seat next to Kwest, adjusting the last knobs while Jude and SME went on stage and got ready to perform. Kwest sent a quizzical glance to his friend, knowing he still had to tell Jude about his thing with Sadie. "You need to do it soon. The longer you wait, the harder she'll take it."

"I know." He really did know, and he felt awful for keeping secrets, for having flat-out lied to her. "It's just… I'm not sure anymore if I did the right thing. What if this thing with Sadie is wrong and I'll tell Jude for nothing?" He was seriously considering stopping seeing her. She was a sweet person, funny at times and beautiful. But, when up against the friendship he had with Jude, this thing with Sadie couldn't compete.

"Why are you dating Sadie?" Kwest had figured Tommy wasn't necessarily in love, but at least attracted to the girl he was with.

"I don't know." The show started, and both men put on their headphones. Tommy had not managed to talk to Jude again since the studio, and really hoped she would just do as she was told. He knew her well enough to know she hated to play other people's songs, but right now it was just something she had to do, and he pleaded she knew that, too. So far, Jude sang what she was supposed to sing. Everything went just right till the end, and the song was recorded and ready to be released.

Just when Jude and her band were leaving the stage, Tommy felt a presence next to him. "What are you doing here? How'd you get in?" He wasn't at all happy to see Sadie.

Hurt spoke from her eyes when she handed him a plate of food. "I came to support you. We didn't leave things right, and I wanted to say sorry. Lou let me in."

"I'm working here. As is your sister! I told you not to show up."

"And I told you I don't like lying to her! Either you tell her now, or I'll tell her myself!"

###

"Honestly, I expected you to rock the stage with one of your own songs," Spied told Jude as they left the stage.

Jude grinned, looking away sheepishly. "I wanted to. But, I promised Tommy to behave. I will not behave tomorrow during the finale, though. I'm not letting everyone else sing what they want during my replacement party, while I have to do the stupid cover! I'm working on something new. Something that will kick ass! So, tonight, eight pm, Studio B. Rehearsal!"

"That late," Wally complained. He had listened to the conversation. "I was planning to sleep," he whined.

"So was I," Jude assured. "But they try to kick me from the stage, and I'm not leaving without a fight!" She stopped mid-way when she caught Sadie standing next to the stage with Tommy. Were that tears on her face? "What's she doing here?"

"Don't know. Maybe visiting Tommy? My cousin said she saw them going out during the summer," Kyle informed.

"No," Jude immediately denied that. "Tommy said he wasn't dating anyone. They went out before tour, but not during tour! Not after I found out!"

"Maybe that's the dates she meant." The boys went to pack up their stuff, and Jude slowly followed, one eye still on the scene between Tommy and Sadie. Tommy wouldn't lie, would he? She had specifically asked him whether he was dating Sadie, and he had said no. Loud and clear. No, he hadn't lied.

###

Five hours later in studio B, Jude still couldn't get the confusion out of her head. Something definitely wasn't adding up. She thought about the times she had seen Sadie and Tommy together today, and Sadie hadn't seemed like her usual self around Tommy. She had seemed sad. "Guys, I've got to go for a bit. I need to check on something! It won't take long, so can you try to work on the sound?"

She left after she gained three nods, happy that she had taken her father's car that night. He had given it to her for the night since he had to leave town for work, and she was more than thrilled about it. When she drove up the curb on her home she already felt her stomach clenching in presentiment. She had a hunch that something was going on when she found Tommy's new Cobra parked right in front of the house. She stopped her car, got out, and silently walked towards the door. Fear began to settle in her, next to hurt and anger. Slowly things began to make sense. Tommy's willingness to take Sadie home, the fact that he knew about her parents' divorce, and on top of that his weird looks whenever she brought up Sadie.

The noises reached her ears long before her eyes could fully catch the scene. Gently pushing the door open, she noticed a pair of female jeans on the floor; shoes and some other clothes were scattered around. Mewling sounds filled the room and even a weird smell, but then again, Jude was beginning to feel sick and maybe she just imagined it. She hadn't been noticed so far, not sure if she was grateful for that. Her big, teary eyes were glued to the act that went down on the couch. She was a virgin, but it didn't need a hooker to know what Sadie and Tommy were doing. He on top, hips shifting repeatedly, Sadie underneath, moaning.

Jude felt herself outside her body, almost like a ghost, not only watching them but also watching herself. Why couldn't she speak up? Why wasn't she running away? Her best friend, the guy she was crushing on for a year now, was having sex with her sister and she was watching, frozen in place. Suddenly, Sadie and Tommy were staring at her, and out of all the things that were wrecking her brain just then, the only thing she really wanted to know was how they had noticed her standing there. Then she realized that she must have dropped her house keys, for they were lying on the floor.

Oxygen left her lungs. Jude felt her stomach clenching in pain. "You lied to me."

While for her things happened in slow motion, Tommy and Sadie got dressed, or at least decently covered in only split seconds. "Jude," Sadie tried, not knowing what to say though. "I'm sorry. I wanted to tell you earlier…"

Jude didn't hear her. She only saw Tommy's guilty eyes, pleading with her to forgive him. "You lied to me," she told him gravely, again, still waiting for a reaction. What reaction she wanted, she didn't know. Tears were falling from her cheeks, but she didn't notice until she felt some drops hitting the back of her hand when she leaned down to pick the key up. She wiped her face, still waiting for his answer. Eventually she realized he wasn't going to satisfy her with one. And so she left, running towards the car as fast as she could, locking herself inside, driving away and ending up a few blocks away, in front of a red light, crying.

###

"Hey," said Spied when Jude arrived back in the studio. She hurried right into his arms to cry and for the need to get taken care of. Wally and Kyle joined him, engulfing Jude in a firm band hug. They had done so before when during tour when Wally's grandmother had died. Now Jude was the one, searching comfort in her friends' arms.

"You were right," Jude breathed in lack of any strength. "They are dating." Never before had she felt more stupid in her life. Everyone had seen, but her. She had told Tommy how happy she was that he wasn't seeing her sister, and he had smiled and let her believe he had understood.

###

The next morning, Tommy walked into the studio, feeling nothing but horrible. He had hurt Jude before, but the look on her face last night had knocked him out. She was broken, and he had seen clearly that had been his fault. It had muted him. He hadn't been able to say anything, despite having heard her asking him repeatedly for an explanation. After Jude had run away, Sadie had tried to follow her, but he hadn't. He had just sat there, speechless and full of remorse, trying to remember why he had been in that house in the first place.

It had been a stupid idea to begin with; he was aware. After having had a fight with Sadie during the party, he had looked for Jude to finally tell her everything but hadn't been able to find her. So he had made his way over to the Harrison house. He had not found Jude, but a very regretful Sadie and somewhere between apologizing and wanting to leave, he had ended up on the couch with her. It had only been some kissing – at first. His thoughts had drifted away, and his body had surrendered. The moment he had seen Jude, he had known he had made a huge mistake. He had tried calling her, but so far she hadn't picked up, and from Sadie he knew that she hadn't shown up at home again, either. Worry was taking over, and he wasn't used to deal with that.

On his way to the office, he passed studio B, and a giant wave of relief washed over him once he saw Jude. She was alive and safe. As ridiculous as it sounded, last night's look on her face had scared him so much, he had feared the worst. He knew she had a crush on him, that's why he had procrastinated telling her for so long. Jude was awake, unlike her band that was sleeping on the studio floor. She was sitting in the corner of the room, a guitar in her lap, and her journal next to her. He softly tabbed on the window, wanting to catch her attention, and not wake up the other guys.

When Jude looked up, he saw the immediate flash of pain and bitterness covering her usually soft and warm features. She stood up and walked towards the door, which truthfully surprised him for he hadn't expected her to be willing to talk to him. Not that he would hold it against her. She quietly emerged the studio, leaning against the door once it was closed again. He could see deep lines and dark spots under her eyes. "I'm so sorry. I never meant for you to find out like that. I wish I could tell you why I'm with her…" He really did. He had thought a lot about it, but couldn't find any answers other than that Sadie had been there, and so had he and now they were there, together. It had just happened.

"I don't want to know." Jude's voice wasn't as friendly and soft as it had been yesterday, when she had assured him that nothing would ever break their friendship apart. It was cold and distanced. "You lied to me. I told you how much it would upset me to know you're with her and you listened to me, and smiled, and just let me believe you'd never hurt me like that. I even asked you again, and you lied. You told me you weren't dating anyone. Kyle said he heard someone telling him that you and Sadie went out the whole summer? So you never split up after I found out! That's six weeks that you've been lying to me, Tommy."

His heart broke when he realized just how much he had failed her. "I didn't want to."

"But you did." She still wasn't angry, but calm, almost detached. No tears were falling from her eyes, as they had last night. "You know how I feel for you." Even now she blushed as she told him. "I told you. Do you even know how hard it was for me? How much courage it took me to say that I'm in love with you? When I told you six weeks ago, I thought you felt the same. Getting disappointed…it was hard, Tommy. And it hurt. But, I'm still here. I accepted that you don't feel anything for me. If you had told me the truth, I would have accepted it, too." Now she couldn't keep her tough facade any longer, and little, stinging tears broke their way free. "Because you'd still be my friend. You're not my friend anymore, Tommy. Can you imagine how much more that hurts? You were the one who always kept me going. Now you're not there anymore!"

"I'm here, Jude," he told her desperately, not wanting this to be the end of their friendship. For the first time in his life, he had someone who really understood him. Jude never judged him, she just stuck with him no matter what. He wanted to object to so many things that she had said. He wanted to tell her that he had never not felt anything for her. He wanted to tell her that he knew how much she was hurting, because he was hurting too. He knew he had jeopardized their friendship, and he couldn't even forgive himself for that. Now he fought for a last chance. "I'm so sorry, girl! I'm not going to let you walk away from me like that. You're my best friend!"

"Not anymore," Jude spoke through her tears, wiping them away with the back of her hand. "I can't be friends with you, Tommy. I can't even look at you. All I see is you, over her…I see the things that you did and I feel my heart breaking all over again. You knew how I felt for you! You not only broke my heart. You promised me you'd never hurt me again, but you did. I can't trust you anymore!" She turned around, stepping back into the studio. She needed to get her guitar and her journal. She needed to get home and shower. She needed to do things step by step today, or she wasn't going to last. On her way out the studio, she saw Tommy still standing at the very same spot he stood before. His eyes followed her, and she could see that he was honestly sorry for what had happened. She had always been able to see what he was feeling. And then it hit her. No, she hadn't always been able. Last night had proven that! And just like that, she didn't care that he was standing lost and helpless near the door of studio B. He had been the one who had hurt her first, and he hadn't cared either!

**Chapter two**

Sadie was preparing breakfast when she heard the door opening. She knew it could only be her mother, or Jude. Sadie hoped for the latter. Leaving the food behind, she quickly walked to the hallway, seeing Jude sprinting up the stairs, obviously trying not to run into her. Sadie wasn't that eager for a talk, but knew the longer they'd wait, the deeper the grudge between them would become. "Jude?"

And Jude stopped. Mid-step, she haltered, turned around and looked down from nearly the top of the stairs. It felt so weird to look at her sister from this angle of the room. Sadie was half a head taller than Jude, so she was used to be looked down upon. Now she noticed for the first time how little Sadie Harrison could be. Her eyes wandered along the room, taking in various things from her new point of view. Everything seemed so much smaller just then. Even the big couch that she had stared at last night, not having seen yet, but having heard clearly what had been going on.

"Jude?" Sadie called once more, "Are you listening?" She didn't dare to be offended by the lack of attention. Not after last night. Jude had always had a crush on Tommy, and Sadie knew she should have said something earlier. "I'm sorry. I wanted to tell you, but Tommy said he wanted to tell you himself. Because of your friendship, and so on." She put it vaguely, not wanting to speak out that she knew about her sister's adolescent feelings for Tommy. Admitting that she was aware would only make what she did, worse.

"He said he was sorry," Jude spoke up.

"We both are."

"He's not in love with you."

Sadie wasn't sure if she had heard right. If she did, then Jude had become a lot bitchier during the last night. "What?"

Jude didn't know why she was saying it, but she couldn't keep the words inside. "He told me he didn't know why he was with you."

Sadie tried not to show how these words hurt. She had known Tommy wasn't sure about his feelings, but that he didn't have any at all? "I don't understand. What are you trying to tell me?"

"I don't know. You slept with the guy you know I like. You know that Tommy is my producer, and that he and I work together constantly. You know how hurt I would be to find out about you two, and how hard it will be to work together from now on. He's not in love with you. Why did you sleep with him? Why are you dating him?"

Sadie was speechless, and truthfully she was also stunned. Jude had never been called the smartest before, that being Sadie's title, and now here she was. The little sister, sixteen years old with no serious relationship in her past, calling Sadie up on the one thing that she herself had no answer for. Not that she had figured anyone else would ever question her about it. Of course, she was in love with Tommy. For years now. Even long before she had met him, she had already adored him. Jude could hardly believe her little crush on Tommy could compete with what she felt for him! "Because I love him!"

Jude stood motionless for a few moments, before simply nodding.

"That's it?" Sadie began to forget that Jude was hurt. "You nod? Why did you even want to know?!"

Her shoulders gave a little shrug as Jude continued her way towards a much-craved shower. "I just did. I wanted to know why you did it. He doesn't know why he did it, so I figured you must have had a good reason. After all," Jude said, having thought of that just this second, "You knew I'd be coming home last night. It was inevitable to stumble over you two."

Sadie couldn't move. She would have never hurt her sister on purpose, would she? She knew Jude was out, probably partying with SME, that's why she hadn't expected anyone interrupting them. When Tommy had shown up, she had not seduced him. They had started kissing, and one thing had simply led to another one, hadn't it? She went to resume making breakfast, trying to ignore the gnawing feeling in the pit of her stomach that Jude had figured something out that she hadn't been able to admit to herself so far.

###

"I don't know what to do," Tommy confessed to Kwest when they leaned up against the soundboard at the side of the concert hall where the Instant Star finale would take place that night. "She hates me. I don't even know if I'm still working with her. If she fires me I'll lose any chance of ever making up for last night."

Kwest tried to find some pity for his friend, but deep down a small part of him was actually glad that it had come out the way it had, not that he had wished for it. Jude had needed a tough dose of reality to see the truth. Had Tommy simply told her, would he have ever found the courage to do so, Jude wouldn't be as mad at Tommy as she was now. Maybe it was good for her to not spend time with him for a while. He had seen Jude falling for Tommy the whole last year and as good as a friend Tommy was to him, Kwest couldn't believe Quincy was a good idea for Jude. He would hurt her eventually. Better it happened now, before the blow would have been even bigger. "She'll get over it. She's–" He stopped, nudging Tommy's arm when he caught Jude entering the stage.

Tommy looked up, confused, until he spotted his girl. She was wearing a long silk gown that made her look even more mature and beautiful, as he found in that moment. Not that any thoughts about Jude's appearance should be on his mind just then! He could only watch her, muted by guilt and irritating feelings that befuddled his head. The SME-boys were trailing closely behind her, and whenever they caught Tommy watching them, they sent sharp glares at him. Yeah, no doubt they were on Jude's side these days.

"Can we set up," Jude asked, addressing no one specifically.

When Tommy didn't answer, Kwest nodded. "Sure. You need to rehearse?"

"No. We're all done rehearsing. We're on first, as the opening act." Jude was supposed the be the show's finale, but after talking to Darius and explaining that she wasn't feeling so well, he had agreed to let her be the opening act and then leave. She was glad he didn't make her stay until the end, but he had assured her that as long as she did what he expected from her, he'd have her back. It was then that she had admitted of wanting to perform a different song that night. He had again agreed, after having heard an acoustic little spoof of it.

"You're needing extra background tracks for 'stupid girl'?" Tommy asked without looking at her when he rediscovered his voice.

Jude shook her head, "I'm not doing 'stupid girl'. And we're okay, thanks."

"Jude," he warned, "going against D is not smart. I know you don't want to hear from me right now, but I'm still your producer and–"

"Darius has already agreed to the new song," she curtly informed him. "Not everyone lies, Tommy. Some people prefer honesty."

Tommy didn't say anything else. Kwest patted his shoulder reassuringly. "She didn't mean that."

"Yes she did." Grabbing the mic he had just synced with the soundboard, he walked up to the center of the stage, passing a glaring Spied, before handing it to Jude. He leaned closer to her, making sure she was the only one who could hear him. "Please, Jude. It was one mistake. I simply didn't know how to tell you!"

She looked away when his insistent voice began to cause cracks in her carefully built walls of self-protection. She had cried this morning, under the shower, and then had promised herself that those were the last tears leaving her eyes. Tom Quincy hadn't earned her tears! If only she knew a way to make her heart understand that, too. "It doesn't matter to me, Tommy. You know what really hurts?" She took a deep breath to fight the water that began to fill her eyes. "With every apology you make, I only end up hating you more. You say you didn't know how to tell me? That's because you knew I would be hurt. You knew and you still did it. You didn't care. So tell me, why should I care now?"

That was likely the harshest thing he'd ever heard from her. And, it hit right where it hurt. One of the things that he valued most about Jude's friendship was how she never hid anything from him. Even the things that no one else would call him up on, Jude would. And he hadn't even been able to return that simple gesture. "I'm sorry."

"Stop saying that. Repeating it a million times won't change things. You don't love Sadie, do you?" She asked bluntly, already knowing the answer. But, the last twenty-four hours had shown her that she didn't really know him after all, and so she asked anyway.

"No," he affirmed.

She gulped away the pain that came with the confession. "That's sad. Because, it means you gave up on our friendship for meaningless sex." Now those traitorous little tears fell after all. "I'd have never thought you'd sell me this cheap."

"I'm going to make it up to you," he swore, a little less guilty and a little more desperate to put an end to their differences already.

"How?" She honestly asked him. "I don't trust you anymore. And I can't stand your sight. How?"

He hadn't expected that her words would cut him that deep. Never before had he cared so much for what he had done to someone else. He had hurt people before, but he had walked away then. Not caring for forgiveness, he had fled to avoid guilt. He couldn't run away from Jude, because she was the first person he had met in many years that he simply needed around in his life. She was the one he needed trust from. He hadn't known just how much until now, when he had lost it. "I'll find a way," he whispered promisingly, brushing a tear from her soft cheek.

"Don't touch me," Jude shot, shoving his hand away from her. "Go, okay? Can't you see how it hurts?" One helpless look later he was gone.

###

"And now," Darius Mills proudly began when he opened the finale of his first Instant Star competition, "Our very first Instant Star. She has just gotten back from her first tour and will now present the very first song of her new album, called 'Are you happy now'"

Kwest did the work of controlling the sound that night. Tommy stood in the back of the room, listening to his new, old bosses' words. He had rarely ever heard D so excited, and wondered just how good the song must be Jude was about to play. Soft sounds began to fill the auditorium and the fans quickly calmed down to hear the notes and Jude's vocals.

_Now, don't just walk away_

_Pretending everything's ok_

_And you don't care about me_

_And I know it's just no use_

_When all your lies become your truths and I don't care... yeah, yeah, yeah_

_Could you look me in the eye_

_And tell me that you're happy now, ohhh, ohhh_

_Would you tell it to my face or have I been erased,_

_Are you happy now?_

_Are you happy now?_

_You took all there was to take,_

_And left me with an empty plate_

_And you don't care about it, yeah._

_And I, I've given up this game_

_I'm leaving you with all the blame cause I don't care… yeah, yeah yeah,_

He couldn't stand listening to those words any longer. She believed he didn't care that she was hurting. Truth was, it was all that he cared about just then. Just when he was about to leave the concert hall, Darius found him. He sported a bright grin that looked an awful lot like the one he had on when Boyz Attack were having their first number one hit in Japan, and he had realized he could double his fortune just by the franchise they'd be able to sell there. "Now that's a star," he commented, pointing to Jude. "Whoever made her write this song, I should give him a share of the money I'll make with the sales!"

Tommy gave his best fake smile, not wanting to piss D off by showing no interest, or admitting he was the inspiration. Jude was scheduled to come in for recording the next day and he already knew that was going to cause enough drama. "So, whose going to win," he asked, only pretending to care while trying not to hear the accusations in Jude's words as she bared her soul to everyone.

Darius shrugged. "It's the caller's choice." The event was airing live on TV and everyone at home could call for their favorite. The one with the most calls would win.

"That's what the people at home think. Seriously, who's going to win?"

"The one with the hat. Mason Fox. I asked around and country is the new pop! He'll win. I took care of that."

Tommy merely reacted, having expected nothing less. "You'll need me here, or can I go?"

"Where to? Your new girlfriend?"

"How do you know?"

"Jude told me. She mentioned you were dating her sister now. Listen, there's something I need you to know. Jude asked to get you replaced as soon as possible. It's my choice to grant that wish, but…you two work good. The last album was bad because of the poor publicity Jude got. The songs weren't that bad. Sort out what problems you have, understood?"

"Sure," Tommy professed. Thoughts of leaving now left his mind in lightening speed, and the desire to have five minutes alone with Jude were all he craved for. This needed to be settled soon, and for good! She wanted to fire him?!

_Could you look me in the eye?_

_And tell me that you're happy now, oohh oohhh_

_Would you tell it to my face or have I been erased,_

_Are you happy now? Ohhh, ohhhh_

_Are you happy now?_

_Do you really have everything you want?_

_You can get up and give something you have got_

_You can't run away from yourself_

_Could you look me in the eyes?_

_and tell me that you`re happy now, yeah yeah_

_come on tell it to my face or have i been erased,_

_are you happy now? Ohhh, ohhhh_

_are you happy now?_

_Yeaah, Yeaaah_

_Would you look me in the eye?_

_Could you look me in the eye?_

_I've had all that I can take_

_And I'm about to break_

_Cause you're happy now, ohhh, ohhh_

_Are you happy now?_

###

Jude was backstage trying to change out of the dress and back into her normal clothes so she could make a quick exit when Tommy found her. To her great distress she was surrounded not only by Portia, who wanted her fancy designer dress back, but also by two other women trying to help her undress. Which meant, a whole lot of rumors were hitting the floor tomorrow, since Tommy didn't bother to wait for privacy before starting to let go of his frustration. "You want to fire me?"

"For a reason," Jude barked back. "I'm undressing. Get out!"

"Oh, please! You're standing behind a room divider. Don't make such a big deal out of it!"

Jude scoffed bitterly. "Right. Guess one naked Harrison isn't enough to satisfy you!" She should care about the interested faces of everyone else in the room, but in that moment only her pent up anger for Tommy ruled her judgment.

"I can't even see you!" He turned around to face the door, just to prevent any more discussions about that issue. "Why are you firing me? We're a good team!"

"We WERE a good team. That was before I stumbled over you, giving it to my sister! We were a good team because we got along. How often do I need to tell you that it hurts to see you?! How do you think it will go tomorrow, when we record? Huh?" Jude angrily pushed the dress down, glaring at Portia who was just about to form a snappy remark about the wrinkles Jude caused in the fabric. She quickly replaced the dress by a shirt and jeans. "Do you think I'll ask you for your opinion when I can't decide which words express my feelings better? I suggest 'asshole' and you offer 'man-whore'?"

He spun around, facing her with raging eyes. "You're going too far! So what – yes, I did sleep with Sadie! I'm really sorry I didn't tell you before you found out, and I'm truly sorry for the way _how_ you found out! But, you and me – we're NOT together. I didn't cheat on you. We never dated, nor were we close to doing so! I never let you believe I'd ask you out. As sorry as I am for having hurt your feelings, I'm not letting you call me 'asshole' or 'man-whore'! Mope as much as you want, but stop with the big words!"

"Oh really – you never let me on?" She purposely ignored the rest of his words. "Let's talk about how you never did that, Tommy. Two kisses! Already forgotten?"

"One kiss," he hissed, "the other one was solely your fault!"

"Okay. One kiss. Not that it wouldn't count for two, given the fact that you went for my lips TWICE!" Done getting dressed she roughly grabbed her bag and her jacket before storming for the door and away from Tommy. "Stay the bloody hell away from me," she shouted from the hallway, making the clear words echo through the whole area. He tried to calm down, being still too angry with her, and himself, when Portia slapped his shoulder. "You kissed Jude? The poor girl is sixteen! She doesn't know the difference between a kiss and love. That's the same thing for her!"

He didn't reply on his way out, heading straight for his car. To his great surprise he found her leaning against his hood. For a moment he feared she might be scratching the paint with her keys, but then he noticed her heaving shoulders, and the muffled sounds of her soft cries weren't lost on him either. Just then he realized how stupid he had reacted. He really had been an asshole a few moments ago. Of course, she didn't want to work with him. He had already assumed so, long before D had told him. But hearing it, it had snapped something in him. Maybe it was panic, the scare to lose her. "I'm so sorry, Jude! I shouldn't have yelled at you."

When he sat down on the hood next to her, he found her cracking a smile. He had not known how amazing it could feel to know she was still capable of smiling.

"You apologize a lot, lately," Jude remarked.

"I screw up a lot, lately," he weakly joked. Asking with more hope than he was allowed to have, he wondered, "You're accepting my apologies?"

Jude shook her head. "No." The little word felt like a punch into his gut. "But, I'm here to apologize myself." On her way out it had dawned on her what exactly she had given away in front of everyone, and she knew it had been too much. "You're not getting into trouble because I told them about the kiss?"

He cracked a grin. "Why? Would that make you happy?"

"No," she whispered this time.

"I won't get any trouble. Don't worry."

Barely nodding, she pushed herself off his car and walked towards the exit of the parking lot. "Wait," he called after her. "It's dangerous here. At least let me take you home."

"No. Someone's picking me up."

"Someone?"

She stopped, slowly turning around while wondering if it weren't the better idea to not look at him. "We're no friends anymore. I only asked you if you're in trouble now out of politeness. It doesn't change anything. I still want you out of the studio when I record. I still can't stand seeing you. I heard your words before, you know? Saying I had no right to feel how I feel? I know that. I already feel pathetic enough for crying all the time! But, it doesn't make any difference. I am hurt, and I can't stop it." Her broken-hearted eyes met his sorry ones. In this moment, alone in the parking lot with him, she just had to ask. "Do I really have no right to feel this way? And I don't mean the lying." With that she turned back around, walking another few feet before entering a car he didn't recognize.

He stayed behind, sat down in his car and wondered when exactly she had grown up so much. How was it she knew him so much better than he knew himself? Yes, she did have a right to feel that way. Not because he had lied to her. On the last night before tour, during her concert, she had told him she had fallen for him and that she had believed he had fallen, too. He had never denied that, because as confused as he might have been back then, he had always known she wasn't completely wrong. Just because they couldn't be together, didn't mean he didn't want her. He wouldn't have let any other girl talk to him like a scorned ex, but Jude had always been more than just a friend.

His thoughts were interrupted by his cell. Reading the text he had gotten, he sighed.

'Hi. Jude's sleeping out of house. Wanna come by? We need to talk.'

Jude was sleeping out of house? Was she sleeping at whomever had just picked her up? Who had picked her up? He started his car, peeled out into the streets, and headed home. He needed sleep. Tomorrow was going to be a long day. He wasn't going to let her fire him without a fight.

###

Song: Are You Happy Now, Michelle Branch


	2. Chapter 3 and 4

**Chapter three.**

Nervous flutters rumbled Jude's stomach as she walked up and down the booth, and the aim to find something to get her mind off the fact that Tom Quincy was only minutes away from arriving was proving futile. Then she suddenly recalled that she wanted to record the background tracks for her new song this morning, and those recordings required musical instruments, right? Right! So where was her guitar again?

"How does it feel to be back in the studio," Kwest asked with a kind, calming smile as he entered the room. Jude just found her guitar and now looked for the cable to plug it in. "Missed it?"

Jude cracked a happy face, trying to see the bright sight of being here. Either that, or she simply wanted to fake it and to prevent Kwest from asking any more 'you're okay?'-questions. She wasn't so sure about her motivations for doing things lately. The whole drama of seeing Tommy and Sadie had fuddled her train of thought so hard that she doubted it was back to normal yet. Finally plugging the electric in, she came to a stop and looked back at her engineer. "Feels good," she replied in honesty, "I really need to get some songs out of my system right now, so I hope you're prepared to work overtime."

"For you? Always." Seeing how Tommy just then entered the studio, he stepped in front of Jude, blocking her way. "He's here. You want him to stay?"

Smiling appreciatively in return, she noticed once again how different she was treated these days. By now, mostly everyone knew what had gone down the last days. Whenever someone searched a conversation with her, she found that she, as well as Tommy and Sadie, had become mere roles in a tragic comedy to amuse the inhabitants of G-Major. The bad guy, the whore and the innocent victim. Black and white. Guilty and not guilty. As much as she'd have loved to credit all the support to be genuine, she was very well aware that she was nothing but this week's talk, and that those offering encouraging words hardly knew who she was, aside from G-Major's first Instant Star winner. Fame sucked, she cynically noted for herself. Nonetheless, she knew Kwest's words were truly meant. "You would tell your best friend to leave for me? He could fire you for that."

"He should have told you sooner." Jude had always been like a little sister to him and when he had heard how Jude had found out about Tommy and Sadie, Kwest had wanted to kick Tommy right where it hurt. "He told me you fired him. You're going through with that?"

"Last night I wanted to." Jude looked over Kwest's shoulder, seeing Tommy sitting down in his chair. He hadn't entered the booth to say hello like he used to do. Last year, they would have talked the whole morning, drinking coffee and eating all the donuts they could find. This morning she assumed all they'd do was spending time in awkwardness. "It's hard, Kwest. He was my best friend. Right now, I can't look at him without seeing him and Sadie… It's not always going to be like this, is it?"

She was so as innocent and helpless like a little girl of two years, unaware of all the evil of the world, and he felt probably more sorry for her than he should. He knew Jude wasn't the betrayed victim, and despite his lying, Tommy had hardly committed a crime. It was less what he had done, and more with whom, which left Kwest to fend for Jude. Everyone knew how she felt about him. Honesty was the least thing Tommy could have offered in return. "It's getting easier. But, it'll take a while."

Jude forced herself to grin, wanting this morning to not end in a senseless fight, but in a productive way. "He can stay. Right now, I want to lay down the guitar tracks for the song from last night. He can sit there and do his thing with the knobs."

Kwest chuckled, stunned that she didn't stubbornly shut down, refusing to even be in the same building with Tommy. "I make sure he behaves."

"No," Jude objected with a sense of decisiveness Kwest wasn't used to. "It's work. If he feels like something is wrong, he can point it out. My last album flunked. I don't want that to happen again; especially not because of him! He's my producer. I don't have to like him to know he's good in his job."

"Right," he agreed. He went back into the other room, adjusting next to Tommy, just as he was adjusting to this new side of Jude. "Hey, T."

"Hey. How is she doing?" Eyes were roaming her ignoring figure, almost laughing at her stubbornness to take not the least bit notice of him.

"She's playing tough. I'm not sure how long it'll last. You're allowed to stay, she said." Kwest bit away a grin.

"How generous," he remarked with an amount of sarcasm he was convinced Jude would have punched him for had she heard. Ignoring how his mood began to drift away, he pressed a thumb down the intercom button. "Let's begin. What do you want to start with?"

"Guitar tracks for the new song. Count me in," she ordered soberly; far from any way she usually reacted to him. Her face was emotionless and he didn't like that. He was getting more and more gnawed by the whole situation. Not because she was still mad at him, but because he was mad at himself. He couldn't change the fact that she didn't want him as her friend right now, and he hated that helplessness. She used to search his nearness, and as inappropriate and selfish as he knew it was, he had enjoyed it. "Three, two…"

Jude began playing her guitar and she lost herself in the act. The soft tunes filled her ears immediately, while the roughness of the strings caused just enough distraction not to let the repeating sounds lull her into a soft sleep. She didn't stop playing for a long while. The same melody – over and over again. After an undefined amount of time, she had the feeling of being in trance, and her fingertips were playing the notes automatically. He wasn't there anymore, only her music. For a brief moment she wasn't hurting, or confused anymore. She was at peace.

Of course, it didn't last long. At one point she opened her eyes, wanting to adjust the guitar, and it was then that she saw Sadie knocking on the studio door. Tommy threw an agitated look over his shoulder; Jude knew how much he hated interruptions during recordings. When he signaled her to enter, Jude felt another one of those tiny mean little knives sliding achingly slow into her already wounded body. Sadie was his girlfriend now. Of course he didn't mind when she entered! Cynically, as she found herself to be these days, she inwardly noted that she should have really remembered that!

On the other side of the window, Tommy quickly searched Jude's eyes when he realized it was Sadie who had knocked. Out of all the people, she was the last one he had wanted to see just then. But, after long minutes of disturbing, unfaltering knocks on the door, he had grudgingly motioned for her to enter. Jude had done so good recording the tracks. She had been lost in her own little world. He was used to that. She drifted there often during recordings. During those last moments her face hadn't looked quite as hard and sad as it was doing again, now. "That was great so far," he complimented via intercom, not speaking to Sadie, but to Jude. "Let's keep recording," he added, wanting to show in his own way that she mattered more than anyone else.

"No!" Jude stood up abruptly and placed her guitar away. "Let's take five. Your girlfriend is here, anyway." She gracefully exited the room, headed in a calm and unhurried pace towards the women's room, noticed with immense relieve that no one else was there, and hid in a stall and breathed. Breathing. In. Out. In. Out. No crying. She refused to cry again! Why was she hurting so much? He had never let her on to believe he'd ask her out anytime soon, and yet she had hoped so in every second she was alone with him. Now that she had to accept that he most definitely would never ask her out, she just couldn't stop being betrayed.

Maybe it wasn't even hurt, she contemplated. Maybe she just hated herself for being so incredibly stupid to believe that she would have actually had a chance to win Tommy over. It were those many little moments that had so often confused her. He had been the one initiating the kiss. He had never told her he hadn't wanted to kiss her, had only said it couldn't happen. He had hugged her so many times. Never had it felt like one of the hugs she had exchanged with Jamie or one of her band members.

Suddenly, someone entered the room, and Jude froze. If someone saw her in here, fighting tears, then she'd be the talk of the whole studio! More, and on a whole different level than she already was. Deliberately breathing slow and silent, she began to listen to the steps, wondering if she could figure out whose shoes she was hearing tapping. It wasn't only one pair; she found out soon when two voices began to speak.

One was Portia. "Did you see Sadie Harrison? She has some guts to come here! Poor, little Jude. Tommy really broke her!"

Poor little Jude, Jude mentally repeated, angrily. She wasn't a pity case!

"I don't know." The other voice belonged to Fiona, Darius secretary. "I mean, I've only seen little of Jude, but she really followed Tommy around like a love sick puppy! I saw her two days ago, when she was back from tour, and I swear I've never seen someone more blatantly drooling over a guy!"

"Hey," Portia warned, "Watch it. I like Jude, okay? What was she supposed to do? See, you don't know Tom Quincy." Her tone took a snarling manner. "He knows exactly what effect he has on other people, especially young and naive girls. Poor girl was head over heels in love with him, and he enjoyed it! I've been married to Tom. He loves being adored, being worshipped and awed. The problem is no one has ever broken his heart before. He doesn't know what Jude is feeling right now. Everyone knew he'd do her sister eventually. She's blonde, hot and she's his groupie. It was bound to happen. Honestly, I already thought they were hitting it off last fall during D's pool party!"

"I never thought Jude to be that naive. She's sixteen! He'd never touch her."

"He did!" Portia seemed shocked but amazed at the same time. "Last night they had a big fight and I found out they kissed at least once!"

"Seriously?" Fiona laughed. "Bet he couldn't wait to compare the sisters' lips!"

"I really hope Jude's not forgiving Tommy easily. But, from what I've heard from some of the other employees, she's falling for his charm every time. Hey – you want to go to lunch later?" Both women left the room again, and Jude finally exited the stall herself. She caught her reflection in the mirror, seeing the reddish cheeks that mocked her with the tears she had fought so hard. Her eyes belittled her self-confidence as she saw the hurt in them. In that moment she maid a silent promise to herself that she would not let anyone believe for only one more moment that she was the poor little girl who grieved over a guy that wasn't even hers to claim. Yes, she was hurting. But, she was not some crybaby! She was Jude Harrison! She was the first Instant Star! So what? Tommy didn't want her? A million other guys did! Okay, maybe not a million but plenty. A bunch of? Some, at least! One being Spied's cousin David who had taken her home last night! He might not 'like'-like her, but he 'just'-liked her! She could work with that…

###

With one eye firmly locked on the lobby, searching, waiting for Jude's return he halfheartedly bothered to acknowledge Sadie's presence. In the back of his mind he knew he was living proof that men could be ogres, but he couldn't bring himself to care. "Why are you here," he needled Sadie more unfriendly than she earned.

"To find out what we are!" She snapped out of nature, not at all liking the attitude Tommy showed, but she knew he was in the middle of his job, and that she had most likely just caused some trouble between him and his artist, also known as her sister. For that she forgave him. "You slept with me and then disappeared!" For that she didn't.

"In case you forgot," he sternly reminded her, "Jude caught us in the middle of sex! I've other things on my mind right now than to go on some date, or whatever!"

"You could have at least called me!" Having briefly pondered of playing the pouting, neglected girlfriend she had ultimately decided against it, not sure if he would buy it, or even care. However, she refused to leave without either a definition of what they were, or with the hope for another date. "Can I stay? I want to spend time with you and since you refuse to come to me, I've to come to you."

"You're kidding, right? Jude's already on the verge of hating me! If you stay, she'll never forgive me!"

Sadie would not accept being dumped over the volatile moods of her little sister! "That's all you care about? Jude? I am your girlfriend!"

His head snapped up, and his eyes took a deprecatory, darker shade. "We still have to talk about that!"

As interesting as Kwest found the moment, he coughed slightly, interrupting the uprising fight when he saw Jude storming into the sound booth again. Thoughts of Sadie and Tommy were gone when he saw how frantically she began to collect her belongings.

"You're okay," he worriedly asked over the intercom, perplexed by the change in her demeanor. He figured she was eager to get away from the new couple, but the frenetic movements of her had him wondering if there might not have happened something else the last five minutes.

Jude looked up, baffling everyone by the dark and enraged flames that distorted her usually soft eyes. "I'm just peachy!" She snarled full of sarcasm. Strangely neither Sadie nor Tommy felt addressed, what in return confused both. Jude's arms pushed anything but smoothly into the sleeves of her jacket, while she fumed, "If you see Portia, tell her to call me! ASAP! Who does she think she is? Let alone Fiona… stupid little bitch…" The boisterous mumble had everyone intrigued as of what had enfolded why they hadn't been around. Tommy, who was only seconds away from entering the booth and cornering Jude, until she calmed down, couldn't for the life of him remember the last time he had heard her using the word 'bitch'!

But instead of keeping her from her private little freak-out moment, he settled for what he assumed was senseless asking. "Where you're going? What happened?" Not used to this side of her, he watched with in puzzlement how she grabbed her back and headed for the door, not answering. Not that he had expected.

"Lunch," came as an answer a moment later. She had answered. Not that he believed it. "Sadie, you have a second?"

Sadie nodded, stunned she wasn't yelled or barked at by Jude, but simply asked. After yesterday morning's talk, that had left Sadie confused and even a little hurt from the hidden harshness in Jude's words, Sadie had not expected Jude to talk to her anytime soon. Following her sister into the lobby, Sadie finally showed some signs guilt. In times like these, it was hard to combine being the sister and the woman who wanted some attention from the guy she had fallen for. "Sorry. Tommy told me you're having a hard time accepting him and me and–"

Jude immediately looked away to avoid getting emotional again. "I really don't want to talk about that right now! I need a favor."

"What favor?"

"Keys. I got here by bus this morning and now I need a car."

"Where are you going," Sadie now really wanted to know. Something obviously had happened during the last five minutes for Jude's mood to change so drastically from sad to pissed off.

"Lunch. I told you. I need a car to get there." Impatient little fingers tapped in a fast, unsteady rhythm against her thighs. It seemed like she couldn't not do anything – as if stopping to move completely would cause her to implode. Even her toes curled and uncurled in her shoes. Jude wasn't sure if the thrive to leave came from the energy that was currently chasing the blood in her veins, or if the energy came from the thrive. In any way, she wanted to go and not play twenty-one questions.

"I'm not letting you drive when you're about to explode! What happened? Let me take you!"

Jude's inner drive to leave, to change something, to be something else than a pathetic and naive teenager was helping her to ignore the fact that Tommy was right next door, and that her own sister had been the girl in his arms, moaning his name when Jude had secretly wished to be that girl, herself. Except the moaning part. Maybe. But, if she stopped now, calmed down, then she feared she'd transform back into the very person, weak and wretched, Portia and Fiona had gossiped about just a moment ago. No, she couldn't calm down. "Car. Please!" She needed to get away from everyone and everything for just a while.

"No!"

Jude sighed. She would not beg, not under any circumstances, and so she walked back to the studio, interrupting Kwest and Tommy who tried to hide the fact that they had watched both Harrisons the whole time. "I need a car."

"Why," Tommy worriedly asked. "Something happened?"

"Several things. The point is someone is waiting for me, and I need a car to get there." She looked him straight into the eyes, not hiding the turmoil of her emotions. "Quincy, I'm only asking once. Can I have your car? And before you answer, consider the really big amount of effort it takes me to even ask you!"

She played the guilt-card on him, and he didn't even dare to roll his eyes. Saying no would only add more fuel to their differences, saying yes would mean…still having differences, but no car any longer. Although – just maybe, it would score him some points to get back on her good side. While reluctantly handing over the keys he muttered, "please be careful! I don't want any scratches on the paint!"

Jude took the keys with a level of annoyance she had not thought possible. "I didn't want you lie to me either! Did you care?" She spun around, red curls flying wildly, stripping him of any chance to reply. She secretly smirked with a small level of satisfaction, faintly hearing Kwest snickering in the background. Her words must have hit home.

"That must have stung," the engineer grinned, liking the blunt side of Jude. Let alone the exit! He couldn't remember having seen Tommy this dumbfounded before!

Tommy only glared at him. "Where the hell is she going?! And what was that about Portia?" He didn't know this side of Jude. She suddenly had a life that didn't involve him any longer and he couldn't imagine ever getting used to that feeling. Jude was his girl. They were friends, they talked about everything, and even the things she refused to let him in on, he still knew about them from her songs. Now she was just the girl in the booth, occasionally allowing him a look into her sad eyes to remind him he was the only one responsible with no one but himself to blame.

###

David stood at the curb of the street, right next to the bus stop for the school busses, when Jude pulled up. "Nice car," he complimented. David Moore was eighteen years old, rich, senior, and captain of the football team. In Sadie's world, where he used to live in, he was what she would call a 'hot shot', or an 'ultimate hottie'. He wasn't wearing the usual jock-clothes that consisted of a pastel-colored and expensive polo shirt and fancy dark blue jeans. David preferred stone washed, light blue jeans, Chucks and plain shirts. He topped the look with a leather motorcycle jacket, which often reminded Jude of Tommy. But, other than the jacket David didn't have any similarities to him. He was a having dark blond hair, short cut and just the slightest bit styled. He was more of a Justin Timberlake in his cool, past boy band time. He was taller than Jude, which she liked. His eyes were deep, but Jude had never lost herself in them, like she had in Tommy's. David was the school's ultimate bad boy and she never quite understood why he held that title.

She had always seen David as a protection-buddy. Spied was his cousin, and ever since Spied was part of Jude's band, she and SME were officially out of bounds for the 'cool mean guys' to prank on. David had more than once kept his idiotic 'friends' from walking all over them. He had been at the concert yesterday, and Jude had accidentally found out that he had not so long ago broken up with his girlfriend, Amanda. Now he needed someone to keep his mind off. Jude knew how that felt.

"What's so important you make me bail school, Harrison? Not that I mind." She flinched, hearing her name called so nonchalantly. "You're okay? Is it about that from yesterday?" When David had picked her up after the concert, he had seen Tommy. Jude had only told him little things about him so far.

"Yes. Somehow. But, actually it's more about a lot of other people. Can we go somewhere?"

"Sure. I don't expect you let me drive the car?"

Jude grinned, scooting over to the passenger's seat. "Feel free to test it out. I've no idea how fast it goes, but I can't wait to find out!"

"Let's go then," he suggested eagerly, jumping over the door and into the seat. Jude had never noticed before how athletic David was. About five minutes later, after having found out that the Cobra did well even at 180 mph — Tommy would likely get one hell of a ticket since she was pretty sure there had been a speed camera about a mile ago — they reached the MacDonald's drive-in. "About the reason I called," Jude nervously started. "I need a boyfriend. Someone who's good-looking, cool and someone who can't break my heart."

David frowned. "And you called me because…"

"For me, that's the definition of you. That guy I told you about…I like him. I'm still trying not to like him anymore, but that turns out to be a lot harder than I planned. He's with Sadie now, and everyone knows that. Just like everyone suddenly knows I like him, or liked. The point is that I'm getting pitied, and people are giving me looks, saying 'oh, poor you', or 'silly you'. It's like they want to ask me how I could have been so stupid to believe I actually stood a chance at him. And that's almost worse than seeing him with Sadie."

David nodded, not needing the explanations. Since Amanda had broken up with him, or he with her – that still was a little fuzzy – people began to whisper behind his back, cracking jokes about him and some even laughed at him. Rumor had it Amanda had an affair with a guy from another school, and when he had suggested a break up, she had not objected, and a moment later they were no longer a couple. "I know. You start to see a different side of the people around you. Like you're a clown, walking around for their entertainment to keep them from worrying about their own lives. Not to forget that everyone is trying to psychoanalyze you!"

"Yeah. And it sucks!" Jude was enormously relieved to know she wasn't the only person in the world feeling like that. "I thought if you and…uh…I show up at G-Major and…uh…make out," she mumbled, feigning to be highly interested in the menu that was printed on a big metal sign next to the car, "then it'll shut them up. They see I'm not the pathetic little loser and leave me alone. And I could do the same in school with you! You can even brag about having had sex with me," she flatly suggested. A part of her even wanted him to, wanting not to be the young and naive girl any longer. "You'd just have to make me a good sex-partner!"

He laughed wholeheartedly, having never expected Jude Harrison to suggest that sort of thing! Offering a flattered grin, once the hilarity of this moment had subsided he yet faced her apologetically. "Okay, Harrison. You know I always liked you. Platonically. But, you're cool. And I'm okay with the idea, but…don't take this personally, but as famous as you are, Amanda, nor anyone else will believe you and I hit it off."

And there went the good mood. "Why?"

"It's your look." Self-consciously she looked down at herself.

"Are you calling me ugly?" She could sense the tears returning. Those salty little droplets, doomed to leave her eyes eventually, were starting to laugh about her by now, that's how much she had cried the last days! Come to think of it, maybe everyone else did have a point calling her a pity case?

"NO! Geez, no. You're just…boring. In a very sweet and nice sort of way!" His dark green eyes pleaded for some understanding. "My last girlfriend had a closet full of miniskirts that are shorter than most girls' hot pants! I'm saying you can wear those clothes, too. You're just not making much of yourself. For this thing to work both ways you need to change your look! For everyone else to treat me as the 'cool guy' again, I need to be with someone that outdoes Amanda!" David wasn't a fan of how that sounded, but it was high school and there were certain rules that one just had to respect.

"I like my clothes."

"I like them too. I guess that's why I have half of the shirts you have, myself! Come on, Spied said you two trade clothes!" Jude looked away, suddenly feeling stupid for having ever done so, which didn't do any good to her already-weakened confidence. Muttering a weak, "Only that one time…" she found him purposely ignoring that statement. "Try wearing a skirt occasionally. And heels! And, I know you used to be a blonde, so maybe you could consider returning to that. The red is…"

"Don't you dare say boring," she warned and her hand flew up in a warning gesture. At that instinctive act she felt a fire in her that she hadn't experienced in days. "I'm red because it's not boring!"

"But it's fake! And it's not you. You're a hot chick, Harrison. Stop hiding behind that hair!"

Jude scoffed. "For a guy you have pretty precise imaginations how I'm supposed to look! I'm not a Barbie you can dress up!"

"I'm a guy Jude. Ask a guy how the perfect girl is supposed to look like and in nine out of ten cases you'll get the description of a young Pamela Anderson with a better IQ and smaller breasts!"

"Smaller breasts?" Jude laughed at that. Wow, the first time in days she had laughed. It felt good!

"A handful is enough. Imagine, Harrison. You're underneath, and a triple D Anderson on top. She'd suffocate you with her tits!"

"So the big ones are to look at and the small ones are to play with? Wow," Jude smirked. "Now that's what I call a deep insight into men's thoughts!"

"Don't sound so shocked! I'm a failure in math, but women – I know them!"

Jude slapped his shoulder playfully. "After seven girlfriends during the last year, one would think so! I think I can handle some changes. So we have a deal?"

"We have. Let's celebrate it with fries. You don't mind eating them in the car? It'll smell of fast-food afterwards! We can still get a table inside." He drove a Porsche himself, and hated the smell of food in it. It ruined the vague, irreplaceable scent of 'new and expensive car'.

"No, it's okay. It's not my car…"

After ordering a giant amount of food that each left a distinctive and for Tommy unwelcome smell in the car, David took the opportunity to question Jude a little further. They had never been close friends, and now he found himself intrigued why she was so willing to go through so much effort for a guy she wanted to get over. "You're doing a lot for a guy you want to hate."

"I'm not doing this for him. I want to change." She finished the last bite of her burger. "When I woke up this morning I was Jude, the girl with the guitar that writes kick-ass songs. I'm a sassy and fierce person. I'm stubborn and I'm not easily breaking down. That's who I was before I came to G-Major. Then I entered and I saw all those people looking at me, I heard them talking about me and suddenly I'm this entirely different person. What I think about myself is right now so far away from what everyone else thinks about me that it's literally freaking me out. I can't go back there, listening to what they say, doing nothing."

"So you lie and let them believe you aren't hurting?"

"No. I show them that I move on. They can see that I'm hurt. They all saw me crying already, so there's no sense in lying about that." She forced herself to smile, but more important she willed the smile to be genuine. "You want to know what's the worst part? It's the second time this happens. I believed someone to be something he's clearly not, and I'm the last one to understand how wrong I was."

"Shay?" He had read about that disastrous birthday of hers in the tabloids. "I thought you and Tom never dated."

Jude laughed bitterly. "I know. But, I trusted Tommy to never hurt me, and he did." Again, she inwardly added. "It's complicated. The thing between him and me…it's complicated. I wish I could say we were just friends and that I'm making a too big deal out of it. I told him I fell in love with him and he never once told me he didn't fall back. He only ever said we couldn't be together. My age and stuff like that," she further added, letting a sharp, doubting tone lace those words. Her big blue eyes looked at David's in a manner he had never seen before. She was pleading for honesty. "Would it have been too much to ask for the truth? I don't mean the lying, I…I mean…if he doesn't like me like that, he could have told me, couldn't he? That's not too much to ask for, is it?"

"No." He tried to end the heavy moment by smiling at her. "Now you have me to show everyone the new you. The girl that dates a steaming hot millionaire and who wears plain sexy short skirts!"

"Yeah," Jude scoffed with a laugh, "that's the real me!" She appreciated the attempt of lightening the mood. "I don't know if I'm only being more ridiculous for doing this, but I just don't want to be alone right now. Not in public and…"

"It's okay," he assured. "Hey, the deal works for me too, remember? Amanda pulled a number on me! I share your pain!"

Jude doubted that, but smiled in agreement anyway.

###

Tommy had finally agreed to sort some things out with Sadie. He didn't have a car and D had strongly suggested he ought to wait until Jude was back to inform her she couldn't just leave whenever she wanted to. Might as well use the time. "I'm not sure if you and I should really date. It's already causing too many problems." He pulled his hand away from the counter in the kitchenette when Sadie tried to hold it.

"We have fun, Tommy. And Jude knows, now. She'll get used to it; she just needs time!" A persuasive, deliberately soft voice spoke from Sadie's lips. She was smart enough to know he'd never pick her because he loved her. Now, at – hopefully – the beginning of their relationship she was aware that her only plus over the thick friendship he had with Jude was the attraction she believed sparked so strongly between them.

"I know." He wasn't sure what he wanted, anymore.

"One date," Sadie begged, plum lips in a pout, a fingertip dared its way up his forearm. When he didn't pull away, she found herself optimistic. "One date. To see if it'll work."

He was just about to deny, to tell her to go away before he'd find himself stupid enough to agree, when he spotted Jude, entering the lobby. Her step was filled with a carefree sway, a smile lightened her face, and a big bad in her hand, labeled 'Dolce & Gabbana' swung next to her when she sauntered down the lobby. "Wow! What happened?"

"What?" Sadie followed Tommy's view. "What?! How does she even know where that store is?"

Slowly, the world around him began to melt away. Tommy didn't hear Sadie's words. He was too caught up in Jude. She looked completely different from when she had left, without looking any different at all. Like her whole world had changed. She hadn't seen him so far, and the bitter part in him noted that it was probably the reason why she wasn't moping, but – was that a smile?! The plugs of her MP3 player were in her ears, she had a song on her lips, one he couldn't define, but clearly see for her lips formed the words, though mutely. It must have been an upbeat one, because if his eyes weren't playing him, she was swaying to the rhythm. Was this really the same girl that had banned him from her life? The very girl whose eyes had had not even two hours ago been so dark that one who didn't knew the real reason would have assumed she was carrying all the world's grieve?

"JUDE!"

Startled to no end, everyone's head shot towards Darius' office door, where the intimidating, bold and tall man barked a harsh "Get here NOW!" at her. She didn't hear him though, because of the earplugs, and Tommy couldn't help but grin. A small part of him was even a little proud. She defied Darius without even realizing it. It was so like her.

"JUDE!" He shot again, not a fan of defiance. Now Jude turned around, having noticed Portia not far of her, motioning for her to look towards Darius' door. Unbeknownst to her at least eight or nine people were following the scene, waiting for D to start yelling at her, or for Jude to start crying again. Jude though simply smiled at D as she pulled the plugs out of her ears. "Hey," she asked with a missing sense for guilt, "You need me for something?"

"Yes! I need you to work," he informed her sternly, feeling like the pun of a bad joke. Duh – of course, he needed her for something! He needed her to work! "You can't just walk out here. Either you're at school, or you're here. Not out, shopping!" He didn't care that he was giving his lecture in front of everyone, in the middle of the lobby.

Jude simply shrugged as if he weren't her boss, but some a non-threatening nobody, stunning him into muteness. "Sorry. Won't happen again. Damn," she suddenly winced, "It will happen again. Actually I've to go out for lunch again, tomorrow. Sorry…"

"NO! You're NOT leaving." Darius Mills wasn't going to take up the wishes of a sixteen-year old, bad selling artist. "Recording, or school. You pick!"

Never been good with orders, Jude's jaw hardened when she stepped closer to D, making it hard for everyone else to hear what he and she were talking about. A moment later they disappeared into his office, leaving everyone with the wish to be a fly on D's office wall.

"What is she telling him," Kwest wondered so full of interest that Tommy couldn't help but feel reminded of a seventy-year old tattletale. The only thing missing would be for Kwest to pull out a pair of rusty opera glasses to inspect D's door even closer.

"No idea," Tommy admitted, his eyes still glued to the door of D's office. "But, if she's not out in two minutes, I'd be prepared for a lot more tears and some serious sobbing. He'll break her! She just told him no in front of everyone! I still remember the lecture I got for that when I did it!" It had been the longest hour of his life, and the repercussions had been the hardest of his life: He had to stay in the bus with the roadies and wasn't allowed in the band's hotel for a week, which had severely limited his opportunities to hook up with groupies!

Meanwhile inside D's office, Jude sat down in one of the visitor's chairs. Her face was soft, and she looked at him like a two-year old who got caught stealing flowers in the neighbor's garden. "Sorry for before, D. But, I really need to have those lunch dates!"

"Why? You're having a boyfriend?" He wasn't nosy. It was just his job to know.

"Maybe?"

Dark eyes rolled. "I've always hated this word. Either something is, or something is not happening. Do, or do you not have a boyfriend?"

"I do have a boyfriend." Might as well start early with the whole charade! "I'm meeting him for lunch every day because in the evening I'm making my homework, and if I'm not here, I'm at school." She quickly had found out that Darius liked it when someone was good in school. She wasn't good in school, but at least she was a good pretender!

"Is he famous, too?"

"It's not Shay," she snarled, "in case you were wondering!"

"I know it's not Shay!" He barked, not a fond admirer of her attitude, or lately – Shay. "He's with this gold-digging socialite, keeping him from making good music." He couldn't believe what was happening when he found himself confessing, "You weren't that bad for him. I wish you were with him again. He was focused back then!"

Jude stared at Darius for a moment, before breaking out in laughter. Somewhere between eleven-thirty and leaving the studio, and one-thirty and returning to the studio this day had actually gotten good. She was hardly thinking about Tommy anymore, and rather excited to finally find Portia, tell her about her fake boyfriend, and the wish to change her style. Laughter subsided into giggles, and she gave Darius her big blue innocent eyes that shone so brightly in amusement that even he had to crack a smile. "Good to know you don't hate me. I always thought you couldn't stand me for having ruined Shay's image! I thought that's why you made me do the stupid cover."

"I'm your manager, Jude. You think I manage people I can't stand?" While he told her, he took a deeper look at Jude. There was a strange sort of pain in her eyes, one she tried to hide well, and which he found startling. The last time he had seen Jude, before having taken over G-Major, she was a stubborn little pain in the ass that had no respect at all for him. Most of that, he believed, was due to the 'mean stories' he was sure Tom Quincy had told her about him. Now though, Jude was calm. The ferocious trades of her character that had once made her so hard to work with were now replaced by something else he couldn't quite place. She seemed…lost. Defeated.

"You offered me the contract to make you richer," Jude spoke up, recalling that this was one of his comments when she had agreed to let him manage her.

"It failed, and I'm still your manager. Jude," he sighed, finding that it was the time to clear some things out between them. He might come off as a cold and unkind person but in his heart he always ever wanted the best for his artists. "I never stopped Shay from dating you because it'd ruin his image. That's just what I told him. I knew he'd hurt you inevitably. Guys like Shay, or even Tommy, aren't made to be with girls like you. You're too nice. Maybe even too good! Shay is arrogant, which is admittedly my fault, and conceited. He doesn't know how it feels to get hurt, because he never got rejected. He's trying his best to be good, to do the right thing, but in the end he's just who he is."

"I hate when people say that," Jude told him with fierce expression. "It's like giving someone an excuse to be an asshole. Your girlfriend is too good for you, so why even try being a good guy. What crap is that?! If Shay would have cared for me like he made me think, he wouldn't have cheated!"

Darius was amazed Jude was this fearless to speak her mind. Few people ever did that in his presence. Not even older people, who had much less to lose! "You're not afraid of me, are you?"

A few days ago, Jude would have said yes. Now? Things got a different perspective when she found out that there were worse things in life than pissing off your boss! She was done looking at people in awe. It was time for other people to earn the respect they wanted to get from her. "No."

"You can have your lunch break," he agreed. He had always known Jude wasn't like everyone else. That was one of the reasons he had wanted to be her manager. She had been honest with him, and he wanted her to know she had made the right choice. "I didn't give you the cover song to punish you. Your old songs were naive and even slightly boring. Good, but…a failure. You needed a fresh start, that's why I chose the song. It was different. More mature. Your new stuff is good. I honestly like it! But, you need a change of style to go with the new songs. We need to sell you all over again. Differently this time!" He paused, allowing his eyes to look at her for a moment. "Have you ever thought about going platinum blond," he wondered, the thought just then entering his mind.

Jude laughed again, stood up and headed for the door. When she opened it, she returned her view to the confused Darius, offering a smile. "Give me half an hour, and I'll be your new platinum star!"

"There she comes," Kwest proclaimed when the heavy and big office door opened, nudging Tommy's arm to gain his attention.

"Thanks," Tommy remarked with a fair amount of sarcasm. "I would have not seen it myself!" He took in her demeanor. "She doesn't look sad, or scared, or even angry! What happened in there?"

"No idea."

"Are you done stalking my sister," Sadie sneered from one of the chairs behind them. "It's getting boring, and I don't think Jude likes to be watched from afar!"

Tommy was just about to reply, lips already on the verge of reposting annoyed, when he saw Darius coming out of his office, calling Jude's name again.

"Jude, you never told me the name of your boyfriend!" Darius called after her, unconsciously making everyone aware of that fact, and causing Jude to flinch. It wasn't supposed to come out like that, she thought for herself, but now that it had, she needed to go with it.

"David." Jude saw Sadie, Kwest and Tommy from the corner of her eyes, all staring at her. "David Moore." Just then Jude wondered why Darius wanted to know, and in her irritation she suddenly remembered what he did the last time she had had a boyfriend. He had mingled with it! "Don't you dare to call him! He's no showbiz guy, and I don't want you to scare him away!"

"I was just asking! I'm allowed to worry about my favorite artist, aren't I?"

Jude flashed a smile. "You can worry. But, you don't get to call him! It'll just make think I'm having a freak as a boss!"

"Is it me," Kwest asked, watching the scene as if it were the biggest blockbuster movie ever, "or do they sound like friends?"

"They do," Tommy agreed, more than irritated. "Since when is Darius letting other people talk to him like that?!" If anyone knew Darius, it was Tommy. And he most definitely had never seen that side of him!

"I can't believe she's dating my ex!"

"What?" Both Kwest and Tommy snapped their heads towards Sadie. Unexpectedly, the whole moment had shifted. Now it wasn't just about Jude's newfound friendship with Darius anymore, but about a guy that appeared out of nowhere and about whom Tommy had never heard before. "Your ex?"

"David Moore. He's in high school, and captain of the football team! I dated him for about a month last year. He broke up with me! He was one of the few guys who ever broke up with me!" Thinking about that still left a sour taste. "I didn't even know Jude knows him. I had no idea David knows Jude! They don't have anything in common! He's cool, good-looking and popular and Jude is…_Jude_."

Both Tommy and Kwest once again turned around, and tried to find Jude somewhere in the lobby. "You think she's doing it to bug you?"

"Wouldn't shock me," Tommy let out, a little unhappier than he wanted to be. "She's hurt. I don't want her to do something she might regret later, just because of what I did."

"What if that's not the reason she's with him?"

Tommy only gave a blank look. He really didn't like the thought of that. A part of him had always known there was a likely possibility Jude would find some guy and fall for him. The arrogant, selfish part of him had just never believed it to occur. Not with him in her life. At least he had never assumed she'd find someone else in high school's walls. No one in there could possibly come near to what Tommy had to offer! Money, good – extraordinary looks, and the ability to make her smile so much that not even her own face could offer enough room for those widely stretched lips.

Sure, there had been the brief moment where it had seemed likely that Jude would start something with Jamie, but Tommy had not felt the least bit threatened by that. Jamie Andrews? Ha! Now he found himself nervous. Jude was determined to stay at distance from him, and what if the guy she had met could compete with all those things that made the difference between him and any other guy in her life? What if he was underestimating things, and there was a real possibility that Jude would see that Tom Quincy was replaceable?

**Chapter four**

Jude looked at her reflection in the mirror. Okay, so it had taken a little longer than the expected thirty minutes to look like this, but she had to admit, it was worth it. She had truly suffered to be a blonde again! Bleaching hair was a mean thing and it had burnt on her scalp like a million needles would if someone would all set them on fire and then pin them into her skin. The comparison wasn't necessarily her most witty one, but it was true!

"Gorgeous," a clearly enthusiastic Portia complimented, discarding the last remains of bleach that the coiffeur had left behind. "You look sexy!"

Jude blushed the slightest bit, wondering if she had ever called that before. Tousling her hair, then straightened out a few curls, before tousling them again she probed how different she could style her new look. "David will love it!"

"David?" Portia was instantly interested, brows curving in attention. "I thought you did it to show Quincy what he's been missing out on!"

"He's sleeping with my sister. He lied to me, and he hurt me. Give me one good reason I should care about the things he thinks about me!" She blew the bangs out of her face, not used to that sort of curly, feminine styling. But that was the point of change, wasn't it? "No, there's this guy I've been dating lately. David Moore. He dated the head-cheerleader before he asked me out, and I want that stupid girl to see how sexy I can be! She keeps belittling me!" Initially, Jude wanted to be blunt and tell Portia to not ever call her naive again, but now she decided for a more subtle method. That, and she felt a little too worn out for a discussion about the pro's and con's of gossip. "Amanda, the ex, called me a naive virgin and a crybaby. She's going to freak out when she sees me making out with David tomorrow! David really likes me and he's one hell of a good kisser…"

Portia smiled, genuinely happy for her, and slightly sorry for having called her naive earlier, too. She had truly misread Jude. Yet, there was still a part in her that had troubles accepting Jude's arguments. "I honestly believed you'd be hung up on Tommy. After last night's fight… So, this David is not just some good looking guy to make Quincy jealous?"

"I'm hurt," Jude openly confessed. "But, the more I think about it, I'm more hurt because he lied to me. We were friends and he deliberately kept it from me for weeks. He told me he knew it would hurt me, it did, and he did it anyway. That's not a friend."

"No, it really isn't."

"And about the jealousy… He had sex with my sister! I think that proved very clearly that it's not me he wants! I'm in love with David. Tommy hurt me. And yes, I might have cared a little too much about him, but I'm honestly in love with David."

Jude amazed Portia. One moment she had made anyone believe she was the saddest girl in the world, who had gotten her big gullible heart broken from an infernal monster, and the next moment she was a happy young girl, in love and ready to fight anyone who threatened her happiness. If Jude weren't sixteen, Portia might have believed she was putting up the best show of the century, but Jude was only sixteen. And, what sense would a show make? Everyone had already seen her crying! "Well, I'm happy for you. And I'm especially happy that you decided to trade your ripped jeans for designer clothes. Trust me, whether Tommy is sleeping with Sadie or not, when he sees you in that skirt with those boots tomorrow, he'll regret picking the older Harrison!"

Jude giggled, for once not suffering upon hearing Tommy's name. Maybe she did like the idea of stunning him with her new look! Wait – Tommy! "Damn," Jude muttered, practically jumping towards her bag and searching for something. "Oh thank God!" She pulled the keys out from a deep chaos of scribbled papers and old lunch wrappers. She was a disaster in the cleaning-department. She knew. "How late is it?"

"Nine pm."

"Shit!" Not only had she still Tommy's key, but also had the last bus home just left the bus stop. "Can you take me home?"

"I'm getting picked up by a friend, later. Sorry."

Of course! Just great! "I've got to go." She grabbed her stuff, put on her jacket and walked down to the studio, seeing light coming from there. Timidly entering, she sheepishly looked at Tommy. "Missing your keys?"

He would have said yes, hadn't her new look thrown him completely off guard. It was only hair that had changed, but the new color made her look so much older, and dare he even say – sexier? The light color of her hair made her skin glow in a golden shimmer, and he found himself oddly reminded of the cliché-picture of an angel.

"Tommy?" Jude wrinkled her forehead as she looked at him. Why was he staring at her like a dorky idiot? "Quincy! Keys. Here!" She held them up, only to drop them clumsily when he reached for them. His fingertips had come entirely too close to her own and she wasn't ready for an actually contact of skin with him. Mumbling a lukewarm "sorry," she looked up at him when he sat back, still having that weird expression on his face. "I can't believe I'm asking this," she dreaded, "but…can you take me home? The last bus just left, and…it's raining and you know I hate walking!"

"Of course." He immediately stood up, switching off every light and lamp in split seconds, like he had waited for this very command his whole life. "Let's go." He was jumping at her every demand these days, but guilt was a tricky thing and he had yet to learn to live with it. That, and he needed to get that confusing angel-comparison out of his head. It was Jude, after all. If anything, she was a devil! A stubborn, annoying, fierce…damn good-looking she-devil. He wondered how she'd look in one of those fiery red costumes, with small horns and a cute little tail, maybe even a fork, or a whip to tease him with. He also wondered how many years he'd have to beg for her forgiveness for her do him the favor of wearing such an outfit! Probably decades!

Turning away from his discomposing gaze she looked down at her feet. "If you need to finish first…"

"No. I'm ready."

She nodded, and went ahead, knowing the way to the car. She had parked it there! The aim was to make the next minutes as smooth and contact-less as possible. Tommy trailed closely behind, admiring her new hair color. He would have never believed that one simple change could let her look so differently, let alone that it would bring such a turmoil into his thoughts! She reached the car first, sitting down in it without opening the door. David had shown her how to swiftly hop over the door. She surely had Tommy amazed by that. "When did you learn that?"

She briefly hesitated answering, not wanting to make it seem like she was beginning to forgive him. After all, she had told him she didn't want to talk to him these days! But, driving in silent the whole five miles…that'd be stupid, too. "A friend taught me after lunch."

A friend. There was the mysterious guy again. He didn't dare to ask her about him. David. Tommy remembered his name from before, when Jude had told it to Darius. He also remembered Sadie saying she had dated David before and Tommy couldn't help but ask himself if this was some sort of payback from Jude. But, she had yet to flaunt him around. Had this been revenge he would have probably been the first to find out and not Darius! And what sort of revenge would it have been anyway? Was she trying to make him jealous? Would it work? He got in the car himself, putting on the seat belt. "You look good as a blonde." Change of topic.

"Thank you." She didn't look at him, but noticed him being nervous and helpless from the reflection in the window. He reminded her a lot of a donkey in a swimming pool, trying to survive but not knowing how to. When she saw him wrinkling his nose, sniffing a couple of times, she quickly busied herself with her own seat belt. She had already forgotten about the French fries and the burgers and the many other things she had eaten in here earlier. She hadn't planned to be in the car with him when he found out! "Time for a change, you know. The red was becoming old." She tried to change the topic, too.

He hardly listened to her, too irritated by the weird smell in the car. It was everywhere. "Where exactly did you go earlier?"

"Why," she wondered nonchalantly, doing her best by appearing as innocent as possible. Eyes found his, big and confused. "Something wrong? A scratch?"

Fear momentarily flashed his face. "Jude, it stinks in here. What did you do to my car?!"

Her face turned away; freckles of sheepishness strewed over her features. "Eating lunch?"

"You know I hate it when you eat in my car! What did you eat?" He still sniffed, trying to figure it out himself. When he found a greasy fries-wrapper carelessly discarded under the driver's seat, he angrily picked it up and held it in front of her. "McDonald's? You ruined my car!"

"Oh please," Jude scoffed, rolling her eyes, "one wrapper doesn't ruin a car!" She had forgotten that she actually wanted this car to stink. Served him right.

He was about to protest when he realized he was actually talking to her without having her wrenching his gut by her tears. His scoff turned into a weary smile. "We're even now," he roguishly asked.

Jude's lips curled into the tiniest grin he had ever seen on her. "It'll take a lot more McDonald's wrappers to even out what you did." She didn't want to feel the hurt returning, but it did unasked. "So, nice car you have." Changing the topic once again was the only thing she could think of instead of silence, or more accusations.

He understood. "I know. Kwest and I, we're hitting the road next weekend, testing it out."

Jude smiled, thinking about her lunch break. "You really should! 180 mph and still no limit reached!"

Tommy had just left the parking lot when the tires of the car stopped abruptly, his stare threatening and shocked at the same time. Not hesitating to be harsh, he barked, "what the fuck did you do earlier?!"

Jude realized what she had just said and gasped, trying her best to look cute and guiltless. "Nothing?" He didn't buy it. "Look," she started, trying to sound convincing. "David knew exactly what he was doing! He's driving a silver Porsche Turbo himself, and knows about speed. His car was in the garage and so I let him drive mine a-"

"MINE. You let him drive MINE! It's my car, Jude. And I don't care if the idiot is a fucking Formula 1 driver! Do you even know how dangerous it is to drive this fast? You could have ended up dead! Ever thought about that? I trusted you when I gave you the key. Truth to be told I expected you to scratch the paint on purpose, writing asshole on the rear spoiler or whatever, but risking your life?"

Every bit of normality that this moment with him might have had so far disappeared, and Jude was caught in a mixture of anger and resentment. How could he dare to blow up on her like that! So what, maybe David had driven too fast, but who was he to lecture her about safety and risks! Had he cared about the risks of losing her as a friend when pushing his stupid dick into her sister? "Shut up, okay? I don't want to hear it, Tommy! Yes, I let David drive the car that fast. You want to hear the truth? I dared him to it! I had fun doing it. I had fun with him! It was a mistake to do this. I'm not ready to be alone with you again!"

"Jude, I didn't mean to yell like that," he sighed, despite not meaning it. She had risked her life! Had she any idea how he would feel in case something had happened to her?

"You don't mean a lot of things lately!"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You don't want to hurt me, but you do it anyway. You don't love my sister, but you do her anyway. You have to decide, Tommy. You can't have everything and never pay for it. You do something; you've got to accept the consequences! Right now that means that you're not my friend! You don't get to lecture me. You don't get to worry about me. You don't get to judge me. And most importantly, you don't get to care about me! I don't want you to care about me anymore! Because, I don't care about you, either!"

"Is that why you asked me if I were getting into troubles, last night? Because you don't care anymore?"

"No. I told you, it was a question out of politeness! See, I promised never to tell anyone about that kiss, but I did and I felt bad about it. I broke a promise, I apologized and if you had gotten into troubles, I would have accepted the consequences _with_ you. Because that's what people do when they make mistakes. They _accept_ the consequences! Why can't you do that?"

"If I did what you asked me to, I would not be in this car with you right now! You'd be somewhere without me, trying your best making yourself believe you can just forget about me. You want me out of your life, Jude! You think that's something I can just accept? I can't imagine my life without you! Believe it, or not, but I need you in my life! If I could go back in time, I would have never even looked at Sadie if that meant keeping you from getting hurt! But, I can't change what happened. I am sorry, and I'm not going to stop saying that until you forgive me!" He started the engine again, drove down the road towards Jude's house and waited until she was inside. No word was spoken after his last ones, and he wasn't sure if there was anything left to say for now. She knew how he felt, and he certainly knew how she felt!

###

The front door slammed shut, the sharp sound equaling the burst of anger that currently made her pulse race. 'Don't cry,' she hissed at herself. 'Don't you dare to cry!'

She wanted to hate him. She wanted to hate him for being such a huge ass. Just when she had thought she had it all figured out, he'd deliver words like those just spoken, and she was lost all over again. Honestly, she doubted he even realized what he had just told her. '_I can't imagine my life without you!_' Didn't he know what those words did to her? How much she wanted them to be true, and how little she believed they actually were? "Pff," she scoffed, still fuming. "Idiot!"

"Who?"

"Ahh!" Jumping about a meter into the air, scared to death and completely caught off guard, she snapped her head towards her mother. "Geez, mom!"

"Sorry, honey. I saw you and I got worried. Nice hair by the way."

"Thanks." Jude had already forgotten about that. "Needed a change." "So, who is the idiot?"

"Tommy. We had…this big fight." Even now she couldn't bring herself to hand Sadie over, though this was one marvelous moment to make sure the big sister got some lectures… No! They were sisters! Blood was thicker than jealousy. Or something like that. "Anyway, he's now begging me to forgive him, which I won't!"

"Not now," Victoria amusedly added.

"Not ever!" Jude fiercely corrected.

"You two are like brother and sister. I bet he didn't mean whatever he said to you."

"Brother and sister," Jude repeated with a frown. "You used to think he's coming after me!"

"That was once. And only because I didn't like the look he was giving you. Now I'm more concerned about your sister. I know she's eighteen, but knowing she'd offer herself to be another notch in his bedpost would really disappoint me."

Jude nodded, yearning for nothing more but go to bed and to start a new day. And, talking about Sadie and Tommy was the very last thing she wanted to do.

"Sadie said you were shopping today? She mentioned something about designer stores. I know you've got money, but I don't want my sixteen-year old daughter spending it all on fancy stuff, understood?"

"Sadie told you that?"

"She mentioned it. Don't hold it against her, Jude. She's just concerned."

"I bet." Screw sisterhood! "Must be the hormones. I saw her screwing Tommy on the couch the other day, and I heard her on the phone talking about a pregnancy test." It was a flat out lie, but who was Jude to care. "Night mommy…"

###

Jude sat in the recording booth, alone. Kwest and Tommy were still out for lunch, and she had just arrived from school. Today was the day David was supposed to come by. Yesterday they had decided to play boyfriend and girlfriend and after setting up some good background story on how they met, and fell for each other and all the other important facts people most certainly would ask them about, Jude figured she was finally ready to get it started. That, and this morning Louisa, the receptionist had cracked a remark about how much she felt for Jude and how she could relate to her pain. Jude had barely been able to keep from blowing up in her face.

Pity sucked!

Today she and David would mute G-Major, and next week they'd take over the school. The plan was to wait until both Portia and Fiona would walk back in from their lunch. Both women were the ultimate gossipers and Jude wanted to make sure everyone knew she was done pining over Tommy. She didn't really care so much about him seeing her with David. He'd only end up playing her big brother again. She didn't need that.

Nervously her foot tapped on the floor, and after five minutes she was surprised to find that the tapping had changed into a rhythm. The whole day she had been wrecking her head about ways to get Tommy out of her thoughts and after a while she acknowledged that it would probably take a while for that to happen. Eventually, and Darius had strongly advised that, she'd have to come around to the fact that Tommy was going to stay her producer. And that meant he had to be not just the guy who occasionally was allowed to hear her record background tracks, but the guy who had to hear her words, her pain, and her feelings.

And while she then began to think about a short and sharp way to say all that to him, those thoughts slipped into the form of lyrics.

Tommy was still with Sadie, since Jude had not heard otherwise from Kwest. Jude had to accept that. But, as much as she tried to do that, she just couldn't get over the fact that she simply knew Tommy and Sadie would never last! As much as she was mad at Tommy for last night's words, he had said that he'd have never looked at her had he known before how much it'd hurt her. That wasn't the talk of someone who was in love, or even cared for friendship. Sadie Harrison might know how to have sex with Tommy, but Jude was the one he had come to the whole last year whenever he had needed a friend, or just someone to have fun with.

She blindly reached for the guitar next to her, adjusting on the stool she sat on before starting to play. The tune was out pretty quickly and for the first time she wished for Tommy to be there to record, to hear how it sounded.

"Hey," A husky male voice startled her when it filled her ear.

Jude spun around, grinning widely when she saw David. "Thank God you're here!" "Afraid I wouldn't show up?"

"No."

"So, where do you want to kiss?"

Jude laughed, having noticed David was pretty eager to kiss her. He had explained this was pretty much a come-alive male fantasy. Making out with a sexy girl in a short skirt, which Jude was wearing that day for the first time, without any strings attached! He had sheepishly admitted that sex would have been even better, but Jude had quickly clarified she wasn't going to take things that far! She had felt flattered when he had actually been sad. "Um, no kissing yet. I need you on the other side of that glass," she told him. "I got hit with inspiration, and I want to know how the song sounds when I'm not too focused on playing it. I need you to record for me."

"Okay." He let her lead him into the other room and show him what knob to press and when.

"Understood?"

"Yep."

"Great!" Jude hurried back into the booth, adjusted the guitar and motioned for him to press the record button. David had never been in a studio before, but had seen Jude singing and writing on several occasions, at times even during classes. Twice she had been so engrossed in writing lyrics that she had noticed her class had ended and his begun. It had caused quite a few laughs when the teacher had pointed those moments out to Jude.

He sat back, enjoyed the comfort of the big chair he rested in, and listened to what Jude was singing over the headphones she had given him.

_Lipstick, pretty face and maybe you'll notice something_

_Different bout me, different bout me_

_Yeah, you talk, talk all you want_

_You pour your heart out_

_But you never do see, you never do see me_

_I can't wait around forever for you_

_Sooner or later_

_You're gonna come around and you'll be sorry_

_When you figure out_

_That I was always everything that you needed_

_Sooner or later you're gonna wish you had me_

_Yeah, you're gonna wish you had me_

When Jude looked up between singing her lyrics she found David smiling at her, showing his thumbs up to assure he liked it. She didn't notice Darius standing at the side of the window, grinning. She also didn't notice how she was beginning to catch more and more attention by the way she was playing just then. She was no longer sitting on the stool, but standing, the guitar around her neck, playing and singing with all her heart while beginning to lose herself in the moment.

David looked up when he noticed a tall, bold man entering the room, taking off the headphones he was wearing and switching a knob so that Jude's words now filled the room over the speaker system.

"Who are you?"

"David Moore. Boyfriend."

"Darius Mills. Boss. New song?"

David nodded. D nodded, too. Words were superfluous.

_Well, she don't do nothing for you_

_But mess you up_

_Yeah, she messes you up_

_I'm your shoulder, I'm the quick drive over_

_Tryin' to fix your stuff, well I give up_

_Oo, you'll never see me standin' right in front of you_

"What's going on here," Kwest asked Tommy when they entered the lobby, seeing at least four people at the big glass wall of studio A, Portia being one of them. "And who's the guy in the studio?"

Tommy shrugged. "New producer?"

Kwest looked alarmed. "Isn't Jude supposed to record there right now? I mean we're late so she must be here already!"

"Portia," Tommy called, walking up to her to catch a glimpse of what was going on in the studio. When he saw Jude, playing guitar with her eyes closed and a smile on her lips, while singing, he was speechless for a moment. There was something so enthralling about her when she lost herself in the music that he wasn't at all surprised anymore that she had gathered a little audience already, though no one could hear her. "What's going on?"

"No idea! I came back from lunch when D called me to watch this. Jude is really rocking this and I like what she's playing without even knowing what she's playing! And she's looking good, too. I can't believe she actually wears that skirt. I got it for her!"

Yeah, Tommy had seen the skirt. He liked it, too. That wasn't the confusing part. "Who's the guy in the studio, sitting in _my_ chair?"

"David. Jude's boyfriend."

_Sooner or later_

_You're gonna come around and you'll be sorry_

_When you figure out_

_That I was always everything that you needed_

_Sooner or later you're gonna wish you had me_

_Oo, oo_

_Oh, you're gonna wish me back so bad, so bad_

_Oh, but it's a little too late for that_

"You're recording this," Tommy barked irritated when he marched into the studio, a snickering Kwest in tow. "It's not nearly good enough to get recorded! Which, by the way is my job!"

"Relax," Darius advised, more lile an order.

"Yeah," David agreed, apparently not afraid to speak up. "Jude asked me to record for her so she could hear the song for herself. Something about her producer being late…" David chuckled. "I guess you're the producer?" Which also made him the guy Jude liked, though not wanting to. Jude had precisely instructed him not to show any kind of respect to Tommy. Her exact quote was, "Imagine he's the nerd and you are you. It's high school. You can give him a wedgie if you want!"

She had been particularly attracted to that idea, now that David thought about it. But, Tom Quincy was the same height David was, and he assumed equally strong. He wouldn't give him a wedgie. Better not. "Great lyrics, don't you think?" But, he could peeve him a little! After all, that's what he was here for!

Lipstick pretty face and maybe you'll notice something

Different bout me, different bout me

_Sooner or later_

_You're gonna come around and you'll be sorry_

_When you figure out_

_That I was always everything that you needed_

_Sooner or later, oh_

_Sooner or later_

_You're gonna come around and you'll be sorry_

_When you figure out_

_That I was always everything that you needed_

_Sooner or later_

_You're gonna wish you had me_

_Sooner or later, oh_

_You're gonna wish you had me, yeah_

_You're gonna wish you had me, oh_

_You're gonna wish you had me, oh_

_You're gonna wish you had me _

The song was done and Jude opened her eyes again, startled by the sudden applause she was gaining. Wow, those three minutes she had been singing had really passed quickly! When Jude placed the guitar away, she suddenly was tugged around, and kissed like she had never been kissed before. Damn, these were some really soft lips she concluded, shocked that she so willingly kissed them back. It dawned on her that it was David kissing her. She could feel his leather jacket beneath her hands when she held on to his broad shoulders for support. When she had told him to kiss her passionately in front of everyone given a good opportunity, he had really listened!

Weirdly, the thing Jude enjoyed the most during the kiss was the fact that her stomach wasn't doing any flips, that her skin wasn't getting tingly and that her toes weren't curling. Not that his lips didn't do a damn good job in kissing her, but she simply enjoyed the technique. The way soft lips caressed hers, and how his tongue massaged hers… Tongue? Okay, so she needed to tell him that this wasn't part of the deal. But then again, it felt nice. Fun. It was carefree. It was enjoyable. She found herself returning the kiss more and more, wrapping her arms around David's neck to pull herself closer to him. After a long while of kissing, he leaned back, smirking while finishing up the lip lock with a teasing bite down her lower lip. She'd definitely have to scold him for that! And maybe ask him to do that again…

A radiant smile flashed her face when they parted. "Wow," Jude whispered out of breath. "I didn't expect that!" She could have sworn that was a wave of heat running along her skin! She fought the urge to fan her face with her hand. "Great kisser!"

"Ditto," he smirked. He began to nuzzle her neck, for the show, whispering, "I swear, Jude. That Tom-guy is jealous!"

"Who?" Okay, now Jude freaked out! When she recalled what all this was about, and also when she recalled what the name of her producer was again, she was stunned that she had actually forgotten about it for a moment! That she definitely hadn't expected. "Oh, he… I don't care. And he's not jealous, he's angry! He likes to pretend that he's looking out for me. Should have seen him last year during the whole Shay-thing! Big brother, I tell you!" She grabbed his hand and smiled. "Let's tell some lies…" she whispered.

###

After the song had finished, Tommy was just about to enter the studio and lecture Jude about the value of this soundboard and how some amateur punk had no right in hell to ever lay his incompetent hands on it, when said punk was already busy laying his hands on someone else! Kwest, who so far had observed the scene in quiet amusement, had even whistled when David had taken over Jude's lips in one really impressive kiss. As much as the voyeur in him would have enjoyed watching, like everyone else had, Kwest found it more interesting to watch Tommy during those long minutes.

It had certainly been a while since he had seen Tom Quincy jealous! Anger, jealousy and even envy had covered the truly to be pitied producer's face while his girl had gotten a good lecture in lip-locks and how to turn them into a provocative show. Kwest actually felt sorry for him. During lunch, Tommy had shown a rare side of honesty when he had admitted that the only reason he had started something with Sadie was to keep himself getting over whatever it was that pulled him to Jude. To see something like that after opening up the way he had, it must have killed him. Or at least caused one hell of a strong nausea!

To say the truth, Kwest had assumed the whole boyfriend-thing was just a story to keep everyone from calling her Tommy's little groupie, but after that kiss? Maybe not…

The kiss ended eventually, and Jude and David strolled out of the booth, both grinning happily. "So, how was the song? Worth to make it on the album?"

Darius, who had politely looked away during the PDA moment, smiled like a cat in store full of free goldfish. "Album? I say we have your new single! I want you to record it ASAP! David," Darius said, "I think it's time for you to leave. You can have her back during lunch tomorrow."

"Or tonight," he smirked. His lips placed a soft kiss on Jude's, before placing a deep succulent one down on her neck, making her giggle. "See you tonight? My place?" The plan was to let everyone assume they had really hit it off, fourth base included.

"Can't wait," Jude admitted. When she waved after him, she mouthed a 'thank you' to him and when she turned back to Tommy, Kwest and Darius she shrugged innocently, still smiling. "What? He's cute, isn't he?" She topped the show off by squealing like the girliest girlie would upon seeing Collin Farrell naked! "Ieeeeeeeee!" She took a deep breath, sheepishly wiped her mouth clean from the smeared lip-gloss and then swayed back into the booth. "Can we start? I've plans tonight!"

"Have fun, Goldie," Darius smiled, swaggering off himself.

Tommy and Kwest were left behind, speechless. One was confused, and one was proud of Jude, and it really wasn't that hard to see who was who. "You're okay?" Kwest asked. The teasing grin on his face had Tommy only more annoyed.

"Peachy," he snapped. Hitting the intercom button, he barked a sharp "start with the guitar tracks," into the booth. Jude didn't even flinch. The last minutes had felt so good that even he couldn't ruin her mood today. If anything, she enjoyed bothering him so much. Jude played the tracks over and over again, not even growing tired of hearing the notes. It felt simply amazing to have a really good day!

"I can't remember having ever seen her so happy," Kwest pointed out. He loved this side of Jude, and how she showed Tommy that he wasn't the center of her world any longer.

Tommy scoffed. "She's playing the best act of the century. She's not in love with that guy!"

"I think you've been proven wrong by the kiss," Kwest objected. "Come on, I've seen girls putting up a show before. That kiss? Jude is a walking emotion-bundle. There's no way she's able to put up an act like that just to bother you!"

"You're underestimating her!" He had spent enough time with Jude to see when she was really falling for someone, or just faking it. That's why he had instantly known that Shay was bad news. David… The guy might have gotten some good kiss from her, but that was it. Had this been a real kiss, Jude wouldn't have been able to stand straight. She would have lost her train of thought and she would have just stood there, in loss for words, slightly panting. Her big blue orbs would have been wide open, and they wouldn't have sparkled in happiness, like they had after her kiss with David, they would have darkened in want, like they had after the kiss he had given her on her sweet sixteen. When he had broken her heart the first time…

"You really don't believe she's capable of falling for someone else than you," Kwest sensed with obvious scorn. "You crushed her heart, Quincy. Don't you think she's learned her lesson?"

"Trust me," Tommy told him, ignoring the disdain. "She's faking it." She had to. He really hoped she did…

###

Jude's feed dangled in air as she sat on the kitchenette's counter, looking mindlessly around to entertain herself. They were on a break, and since Kwest was in the bathroom, Jude didn't want to stay in the studio alone with Tommy. They'd only end up fighting again. She'd rather wait out here.

"Here you are!"

Looking over her shoulder, down at Sadie, whose face was sporting scarily angry features, Jude suddenly remembered last night. The whole pregnant-lie… "Hey, how's my pregnant sister feeling," she peeved, not caring that Sadie was pissed off.

"Just great," Sadie sneered with such high levels of sarcasm that Jude felt the slightest bit of guilt. But, just a really small bit! "What the heck, Jude? Pregnant?"

"YOU'RE WHAT?!"

Both Harrisons realized that Tommy had found them, and now believed a whole lot of false things. "NO," Jude barked. "I'm not! Not that you should care," she disdainfully added.

"Cut the crap, Harrison. Did you and that punk hook up?" He felt a strong, unwelcome rumble in his stomach, reminding him of the days he still suffered from hangovers. Only this felt much worse and he had a feeling that half a bottle of aspirin wouldn't help this time.

Jude scoffed, glaring most threateningly at him. "Why do you care? Stay out of this," she warned.

"Why," Sadie asked full of interest, bringing herself back into the conversation. "Apparently he's the father!"

"WHAT?" Tommy snapped again. They wore a condom. It wasn't possible! NO WAY!

Jude hopped off the counter and straightened the short skirt, not noticing how Tommy's eyes followed the gesture closely, or how Sadie was rambling on and on about sisterly betrayal and unjustifiable lies. "Sue me," Jude dramatically mocked, "I lied!" She held up her fists and set her eyes into a plea. "Bring the shackles! You two have never even bend the truth before, so how could I have possibly gone that far? Oh wait – you did lie too!" Seeing Sadie near a detonation, and Tommy completely lost, she rolled her eyes and sighed heavily, as if that would somehow make her feel better. "I lied, Quincy. Relax! Your valuable latex-trapped seed went straight into the garbage, and nowhere else. And Sadie…just leave me alone!"

"No," she objected, holding Jude back by her arm. "What did I do to earn this? Mom lectured me for hours, and had me even to a freakin' pregnancy test!" When she caught Tommy's intense, questioning stare, she growled. "I'm NOT pregnant!"

"What you did?" Jude's hurt gaze took Sadie's confused expression by surprise. "You're a jealous queen-wanna-bee! You saw me with a designer bag yesterday and bitched about it to mom! Is it really that painful for you to see me spending money I earned, while you can't? I mean…what have I done to you? Couldn't you just simply shut up? Are you getting a kick out of it, selling me out?" Sadie stayed mute, and Jude was exhausted. "Like I said, stay away from me!" Yanking her arm out of her sister's hold, Jude marched back into the studio and wordlessly passed Kwest on her way into the booth. All knew better than to start another discussion now, and so they resumed working.

###

At the end of the day, Kwest had already left for a date, when Tommy finished up the last adjustments. "We're finished for today," he informed her coldly. "Need a ride home?"

"No." Jude took off her headphones, pleased with the result of recordings.

"It's nine-fifteen. No bus left, remember?" He fished for chances to be alone with her.

"David, remember?" She wouldn't allow him to ruin her mood; despite the various attempts he had made that day. To avoid anymore contact she turned around, placing her guitar back in its case. The short skirt she wore hitched up, and along with the high-heeled black boots she wore Tommy was suddenly drawn to a whole new side of Jude. He had always found her beautiful, but now she was just plain attractive. He didn't notice right away when she turned back.

But, when he did, and found out she caught him staring at her, he quickly looked away, even blushed. "Sorry."

"It's okay," Jude assured with carelessness he had not believed she was capable of. "I'm a skinny, blond girl with a short skirt and high heels. You must be dying to hump me!"

Anger flashed his eyes. "What?"

"Oh come on, Quincy! I mean I'm blond now. Didn't you tell me that's your favorite hair color? And the skirt and the heels… You did stare at my legs!" She wanted him to know that she didn't care anymore. "Sorry to disappoint you. I'm not Sadie. I don't do the needy."

"What the hell happened to you," he asked in all seriousness. The way she stood on her heels, not even the slightest bit caring for the little skirt she wore, startled him. This wasn't the girl he came to care for so much. "Where's the girl I knew? I mean you show up dressed like a hooker! You know I have a thing for blondes, is that why you dyed your hair? You want to tease me? You think you can take revenge, or some shit?"

"A hooker." If he hadn't hurt her enough already! "You think I did this for you? You think that after everything you did to me, I still spend a thought about you? This is about _me_, Quincy. I wanted a change." Jude walked out of the booth, finding a way to the chair next to him. "You have to understand something: I really don't care about you anymore."

His look stayed intently on her while he reached out to switch the soundboard on, filling the air with the song she had recorded today. '_Sooner or later you gonna wish you had me…_'. I can hear how little you care for me!"

"Listen deeper, Quincy. '_Oh, but it's a little too late for that…_' That's it. That's goodbye. I'm done with you!"

"David," Tommy brought up. "Is he part of your new life? Don't you think it's a little too convenient to meet '_the love of your life_' just after getting your heart broken?"

She laughed without emotion. "Don't do this, Tommy. Love of my life? I'm sixteen. You out of all people should know that the best. He was there. See, I'm going to let you in on a big secret. I asked him to come over. I asked him to kiss me in front of everyone. I might not be in love with him, but I sure like kissing him! Guess I finally do understand what made you sleep with my sister. You want to know why I asked him? Because I was done being your groupie."

"You never were," he told her. Was he trying to crack a joke, or was he just bitter?

"Maybe I was. I let you walk over me and I kept forgiving you. People pitied me. You have any idea how awful that feels?" Her face took a sadder shade.

"Just as awful as hearing you walked over someone." His insides twisted at her words as if someone had just shot him a dozen times. He asked her honestly. "Did I really hurt you so much?" Her words made it hard for him to breathe just then. "I know I hurt you when I kept Sadie a secret from you, but you make it sound like I've spitted in your face the whole last year. You're my best friend, Jude. Do you have any idea how much you mean to me? How important you are to me? How much I would do for you?"

Little tears began to fill her eyes. When she wasn't angry with him, it was beginning to get hard not to care for him. "You didn't spit in my face," she admitted, letting the softness of her voice making this moment so much heavier. "I'm sorry. I just…" She realized she had been too harsh, and now she struggled for the right ones. "I didn't mean to say you walked over me. I'm really sorry. But, every time I think about our last year, I see something else. Each time I notice another tiny little thing that now tells me I should have never believed I ever stood a chance with you. It's the kiss you gave Sadie at the farmhouse, and how you never apologized. That's when I should have known you never regretted it. It's the kiss on my sweet sixteen and how you cared for anything _but_ my tears. Would it have killed you _not_ to kiss me? Would it have killed you _not_ to hug me so often? Would it have killed you _not_ to smile at me in that one way that you know exactly is mean and makes me weak in the knees? Would it have killed you to care just _a little more_ about me, instead about everything else?"

He wasn't sure how longer he could continue to listen. Hearing how much he had hurt her hurt him even more. All he had ever wanted was to have a good time with his best friend. He had never planned on doing all those things to her that she had just accused him of. He had never planned to let his own confused heart to get in the way of his friendship with Jude. The very moment he had met her he had known she was nothing like anyone else he had ever met and that had been his downfall. The only thing that had ever kept him from going after her was her youth. And exactly that youth he had forgotten about, so often. That was when he had smiled at her in a way he had known he shouldn't. That was when he had hugged her, trying to be just a tiny little bit closer to her than everyone else was. That was when he had kissed her. The one thing he just couldn't tell her was that if he wouldn't care so incredibly much about her, he would have kissed her so much more often, and not just last year.

"You're really sorry," Jude concluded whisperingly. She had never seen his face this pained before. She had never ever expected to see him pleading for forgiveness. Although she still wasn't sure if he was just sorry for getting caught. "Do you regret how things turned out?" She asked him straight out, hoping he'd repay her with honesty, and not just with the words he knew she wanted to hear.

"Every single second."

"I can't be your friend right now. I need some space between you and me, or I'll end up being the same girl that I was before. I'll end up waiting for you to kiss me. But," and she had not believed this morning she'd offer him that much ever again, "maybe soon… I was strongly advised not to fire you so it's not like I won't see you anymore. Just…I need a little time."

He nodded, never more relieved to have such little hope been offered. Jude stood up, and gave him a last small, sad smile before walking towards the door. She haltered another moment, not able to look at him at what she was about to say. "I know you think about ending things with Sadie. Do me a favor… Don't think about me when you make up your mind. _She_ is your girlfriend. And, if you really care for her then you should be with her. Eventually I'm going to be okay with that." That was the last moment Jude could manage to hold it together. Once the words were spoken, tears sprang from her eyes and she ran out of G-Major, letting the fast taps of her heels down the expensive new floor be just another reminder to Tommy just how much it had taken her to say it.

###

David leaned against the car, waiting for Jude when she hurried straight into his arms, sobbing for a long while. He just held her, gently stroke her hair and when she had finally calmed down, he didn't need her to say anything. He could see in her eyes that all she wanted to do was be for herself just then.

###

Song: Sooner Or Later, Michelle Branch


	3. Chapter 5 and 6

**Chapter 5**

"So she's with him, because…"

Tommy shrugged. "I think she just doesn't want to be alone right now." He was having his daily lunch break with Kwest, informing him about last night's events. "And as she told me, she _really_ likes to kiss him." The way his voice turned sour and unconvinced made any attempt to make it sound he didn't care, useless.

Grinning, Kwest couldn't help himself but ask, "You're okay with that? She's _your_ girl…"

"Do I have a choice? She m-" As he spoke a familiar flash of blond hair appeared outside the diner. "Is that Jude?" His mind got sidetracked when he looked out of the window of the booth they sat in, seeing his girl in the distant. Kwest followed his gaze.

"And David. Doesn't that guy have school?"

"Until four. That's what D told me, because Jude would go and meet him afterwards." Tommy checked his phone, wondering if he had missed a call to inform him about a change of plans. The diner was only two blocks away from G-Major and maybe they were now looking for them? Though technically, Jude was supposed to do some PR work right now.

"It doesn't seem like they're here for us." Kwest chuckled when he spotted Jude pointing towards a red Chevrolet cabriolet with two girls in it, dressed as cheerleaders. Tommy and Kwest watched the scene in interest. The cabriolet was trying to park in the spot behind a silver Porsche Turbo, having severe issues with that and Tommy couldn't deny feeling reminded of that old prejudice that women were bad drivers. He faintly recalled Jude mentioning something about David driving a Porsche. How come high school students had that much money?

The girls walked up to David and Jude after having finally parked the car, not looking pleased. Quite the contrary was the case, and one of the girls made a gesture that didn't leave much room for interpretation. The middle finger was such a lame way of expressing opinions. "Think one of them is David's ex?" Kwest had always had a thing for other people's lives. Tommy merely laughed at his friend's eagerness to find out. Shifting his attention back to the scene he saw how Jude hauled David's head in for one of those kisses David had given Jude just yesterday. This time though, the 'little punk' as Tommy labeled him in increasing resentment took a firm and daring grope at Jude's butt before letting his hand trail down her bare thigh. He'd really have to talk to Portia about Jude's new outfits. She shouldn't look like that with sixteen. Not when he tried to remember that Jude indeed only was sixteen, despite her mature moments. Last night she had astounded him by how calm she had talked to him and explained to him how she had felt.

"I just can't imagine they're making out like that just for show," Kwest muttered. "I mean the sparks are flying so hard between them!"

"NO, there aren't any sparks!" Tommy declared it a little too firmly to not raise suspicion in Kwest. He took in how Jude's hand was driving through David's really thin and badly cut hair. If he'd take a closer look, Tommy was sure to find bold spots on that guy's scalp, maybe even hints of gray hair! When Jude's fingertips began to dance across David's neck, just then rising the wish in him to experience the very same caress, he snapped his head away from the too public display of fake affection. No sparks at all! Not even warm temperature! "See, she's…"

"…Still kissing him although the girls are gone?" Kwest laughed. "You're screwed. She's really getting over you!"

Tommy roughly readjusted in his seat, trying his best not to have any sort of sight at what was happening between his girl and the little punk. "Can we talk about something else than Jude?"

"How are things with Sadie?"

"Why are we friends again?"

###

"They're coming," Jude told David, even excited about the fact. David had told her that Amanda and a friend of hers always sneaked out during the lunch break between classes to get some Starbucks coffee. It was the stereotypical Styrofoam container that was the 'new chic' these days. It even replaced the Gucci handbag! Jude had suggested to show up near the Starbucks, making out when they came by. Truth was, after yesterday's kiss, she couldn't wait to kiss him again. He had some really talented lips!

Amanda showed up, and now Jude's arm was tightly locked around David's neck to keep his lips as firm as possible on hers. David didn't hesitate to return the kiss, sharing the liking for those moments. It wasn't the departure of his ex that made him part from Jude, but the need for air. He wiped Jude's strawberry lip-gloss from his smirking lips. "Damn, Harrison. We're getting good at this!"

"We really do!" Jude wasn't blushing, or ashamed. Not even shy. "It's weird. I'm not in love with you, but kissing you really is fun!"

"Tell me about it," he agreed, hauling her mouth against his right again. He slowly trailed his hand from her lower back towards her ass, testing out her reaction. She didn't stop him and he followed the appealing curves of her body down towards the exposed skin of her bare thigh. He could feel Jude smile into the kiss, and he gently raked his fingertips along her leg with a little more intensity. After a few seconds, Jude giggled and playfully pushed him away from her.

"I'm not going to do this in public!"

"So how about we do this later tonight at my place?"

Now Jude blushed. Looking away and beginning to play with a loose seam of her shirt, she procrastinated to answer.

"We don't have to." David reached for her hand, tugging on it so she'd look up at him. She did. "I like your lips. I like kissing you. I'm…not in love you," he confessed.

"Me neither. And, I really don't want to fall in love right now!" She was still suffering from the last time that happened.

"Neither do I. But, we can enjoy the perks of being single, can't we? Having fun, no strings attached?"

"That's like the ultimate male-fantasy, isn't it?"

"Absolutely," David admitted with a sly grin. "So?"

"Let's have fun." Jude wondered what she had just agreed to, but another part of her was looking forward to explore some new boundaries, and even looking forward to find out what lay behind them. Her eyes caught a glimpse of the time. "Class is starting in ten minutes! You need to go." Lucky for Jude, she still had off this week. G-Major had wanted her to record first and the first week of school was never that important. Jude didn't dare to object!

"Hop in, then. I'll drop you off at the studio." He headed for his car, almost stumbling when Jude out of nowhere jumped his back and wrapped her arms around him.

"Let's start early with the fun and let me drive."

He held up the keys. "I get a kiss for that…"

Jude's mouth met his fiercely, short and intense. "I get to drive fast for that…"

###

"You're sure you don't want to know what's happening?" Kwest was still watching Jude and David.

"Yes! And I'd appreciate if you could stop eyeing them like a hyena!"

Kwest chuckled. "They annoy you, don't they?"

"No!"

"Yes they do!"

"If you know the answer, why do you ask?"

"I enjoy seeing you suffering." A big part of their friendship had always been honesty. Kwest and Tommy might not always agree on things, but they never kept secrets from another. "Come on, you earn this!"

"Thanks for reminding me."

"You should take her as an example. She's making an effort in getting over you. Try the same."

"That effort caused the whole mess," he strongly reminded Kwest. His annoyance turned into helplessness. "Jude told me to decide. Sadie, or not Sadie."

"Smart girl."

"And she made me promise not to consider her feelings in that decision."

"Wow! Big girl." Kwest was stunned. That level of maturity most grown-ups didn't even possess. But then again, Jude had always amazed him by her mature moments. It was what made her so special. One moment she was laughing her ass off over a silly cartoon and the next moment she'd slip some smart comment that had you speechless. "Do, or don't you like Sadie? Guess that's the question."

"I don't know. You should have seen Jude last night. It took all of her to tell me that. I know her, Kwest. Seeing me with her sister is tough on her."

Kwest shook his head, leaned back in his seat and watched the world outside the diner. "It's not about Sadie, is it? It's about running away from what you feel for Jude! Geez, that girl is sixteen and accepting life as it is. You're twenty-three, can literally chose from life's finest, and you can't even admit to yourself that you want Jude! Something's wrong with that!"

"So what," Tommy barked. "What if I want her? It can't happen! And I don't _not_ like Sadie."

"She's right. You need to make up your mind."

"I'm trying!"

###

"And then I run into Amanda when I waited for you and you should have heard how she bitched at me! Seriously, that girl is such a freak!" Jude stated. She and David were just walking into G-Major.

"She really likes to scream. It's in her blood," David commented a little too happily for Jude's taste. She saw the smudgy grin on his face, and started laughing, playfully slapping his chest.

"I don't want to know what she does in bed!"

"Not just in bed…"

"EW!"

"Damn it," Tommy grumbled annoyed when he saw Jude and David entering. He had just picked up his mail at the reception when Jude's giggling had him lose his patience. "Can't she go anywhere without him anymore?"

"Why," Portia, who stood next to him, questioned. She had always been good in telling when Tommy was caring a little too much for women he shouldn't care about. It had become her specialty during their brief, but eventful marriage. "Jealous?"

"Nosy much," he countered sharply.

Portia only laughed. "Oh how mature you are these days… Oh look!" She grinned seeing Jude coming towards them. "She's wearing the blue skirt I gave her. Damn, she has pretty legs!"

"Yeah…" The soft admittance came too quickly.

Portia's head shot to Tommy, an open jaw dangling from her face. "You're-"

"Shut up," he quickly warned, not needing his ex-wife to point out to him how he paid too much attention to an inappropriately young protégé's legs. He sat on a fake and flaky smile and greeted both Jude and David. "Hey you two. Brought him again," he addressed Jude sneeringly, purposely ignoring David.

Jude gave him a weird look. "Yes!" When Tommy hardly reacted, but simply walked away without another word, Jude looked at Portia. "What's his problem?"

Laughing, Portia shrugged. "Life. You look pretty today!"

David smiled, and wrapped an arm around Jude, letting it drift dangerously low towards said skirt. "I say she looks stunning!"

Jude smiled, blushing under all those compliments. "Can we focus again? I need to record my new single today and need some support!"

"Compliments aren't the right support?" David wondered.

Jude smiled. "I prefer sugar. In form of chocolate." When she recorded singles, Jude always grew nervous. Especially now, with already one flopped album on her shoulders, she wanted the song to be a kick ass-hit and nothing like the failures her last songs turned out to be. Chocolate always helped in those moments.

"Two hours ago, we still had Brownies. Good luck finding one now," Portia quipped before leaving.

"Great. Brownies here never last!" Jude sighed. "Never mind. Let's go." She pulled David with her into Studio A. Tommy and Kwest were already done setting up when they entered. "You can stay here. I try to be done quickly." She was a little uncomfortable with David being alone with Kwest, and especially with Tommy.

"Don't hurry," he reassured, taking a seat on the couch in the back of the room. "I'll be okay."

"Okay." She quickly took off her jacket and got rid of her bag and guitar case before heading for the booth. Just when she was about to enter, she spotted a plate on the soundboard, a whole Brownie sitting upon it. Her mouth filled with saliva as hunger overcame her. "Whose is this?" And more important, could she have it?

Tommy barely looked at her when nudging the plate towards her hand, whose fingers he knew must have been itching for it by now. "Yours."

Jude didn't allow herself to smile, but she offered a polite "Thank you." For the tiniest moment, she locked eyes with Tommy before taking the Brownie into her hand, eating it with her fingers while entering the booth and taking a seat on the stool in front of the mic.

"That was very nice of you," Kwest told Tommy, allowing a sarcasm to make it a jest.

"Just start counting her in!"

Two hours later, Kwest was on a break for a sandwich and Jude used the moment to make a quick run to the bathroom, leaving Tommy and David behind alone. She didn't like the idea, but she needed to pee and that had priority!

"So… Dating Jude now?" Tommy knew they weren't in love. Jude had confessed that to him last night. But, he also knew she 'liked kissing him' and that she had kissed him several times today already, since he had been the unlucky witness.

David nodded. "Yep. Dating her sister now," he asked in return.

"…Yeah…" Something like that. The little punk didn't need to hear the whole confusing and unresolved story of how that had happened. "Jude mentioned you drive a Porsche?" Cars were a good topic, Tommy figured. He had plenty of them and could easily outdo Jude's little friend.

"Not just one. But, I guess she's referring to the silver Porsche Turbo. Got it tuned. It's going 200mph. Tested it out in a race this summer."

"You do street races?" Tommy had known there was a reason he hated this guy! He was bad influence for Jude!

"No. Friend of mine owns a racing club. Lets me occasionally use their speedway. My Dad used to be their sponsor."

"So you're driving Daddy's car?"

"No. My father died a few years ago, along with my mother. Inherited the whole fortune. That, and two Porsche, two Ferarris and a couple of Lexus and Benz."

"Oh." Dead parents and too much money! Oh yeah, Tommy really hated this guy! "So, where you're living. Relatives?"

"Penthouse in the city. You know that new apartment tower they built a couple of years ago? The big one, next to the little tower? It's also part of my heritage."

Yeah, Tommy knew that one. His own penthouse was in the little tower. Every morning when he woke up, a giant annoying shadow fell over his window, coming from the 'big tower'. It also blocked the perfect view he used to have at the lake. Okay, so maybe _he_ hadn't had the look at the lake for he moved in while the tower was already in construction, but there used to be a view of the lake and he missed that! And, now that he thought about it, the gray color of that building's stones were truly ugly! Yeah, he had always hated the 'big tower'. He had already hated the 'big tower' when he had made an offer to buy its penthouse! "I know the tower."

"You wouldn't believe how many people are trying to buy it from me! A couple of years ago, there was this guy…" David laughed, still remembering that story from his lawyer Laura, who had told him. "Anyway, there was this guy who really wanted the penthouse. He even seduced my lawyer for that. He took her out for six dates and she shamelessly let him buy her the most expensive things, all the while leaving him with the hope I'd sell. I never did, and she made a fortune out of dating him!

Yeah. He had fond memories of Laura, too. Fucking fond memories!

"Hey…" Kwest carefully interrupted when he came back with his sandwich and some fresh brew of coffee. "David, Jude asked for you. She's in the kitchenette."

David left immediately. Tommy spun back around, facing the soundboard. It didn't need much more and he'd bang his head on the board. "He has the bigger one."

A fair amount of coffee shot from Kwest's mouth straight against the glass window in front of him, leaving one ugly looking mess there. "What?!"

Tommy looked in shock at the disaster that Kwest had just produced. "What the fuck?"

"The _bigger_ one…"

Deep lines of horror furrowed into Tommy's face at what Kwest had just implied. "Holy shit, fuck no! I meant his apartment! What the fuck did you think we were doing in here?!"

"No idea! I just hoped neither of you brought a ruler along!"

Tommy jumped out of his seat. "You have one sick mind!"

"Says the guy who's sleeping with one sister to forget the other one!"

Punch him. Tommy really, _really_ wanted to punch him. If only his friend wouldn't have such made a goddamned good point! "I need a break!"

"Don't buy a fucking castle just to outdo Jude's high school boyfriend!" Kwest called after him.

Jude and David came back, holding hands. When Jude noticed Tommy gone, she looked at Kwest for answers. "Where did he go? And does it mean I have off, now?"

"No idea, and no."

"He's behaving weird all day! What's his friggin' problem?"

Kwest shrugged. "Size, I think. Go in, I'll step in until he's back." And with that she resumed recording.

###

Tommy sat in his favorite bar, drinking. In the back of his head he wondered how Sadie had wound up next to him, but there was just too much liquor inside him to answer that. "Looking good tonight, Sadie." He slurred the compliment, if it was even meant as one. Why not enjoy that she wanted him? Jude had made one hell of a statement by making out with David any given second of free time that she did not want Tommy anymore. So why shouldn't he be with Sadie? Was he doomed to spend his life alone from now on? Or even this night?

Jude didn't even want him as her friend anymore! Sure, she was being over-dramatic and making entirely too much out of one mistake, but had he expected any less from her? After all, wasn't it exactly that what made him care so much about her friendship? That she was so unforgiving at times? She challenged him, making him want to be better for her. Worthy of her. What for, he now wondered. One mistake and she cut him from her life! What a friend was that?

He was too drunk to answer those questions. "Looking really good tonight, Sadie…" It wasn't a lie. Sadie was one nice girl. It didn't matter that during the sex with her Jude's face had flashed up in front of his eyes more than just one time. It had shocked him. Well, not really… But, it had confused him! No, it hadn't done that, either. At least not much. He figured it was the guilt. But, might as well face some truth. It's not like he had never dreamt about Jude before. As a matter of fact, Jude had made several appearances in his fantasies up to now. Was he proud of that? Hell no! Could he help himself? No! Even when he was guilty about having hurt her, he couldn't fight his dreams. In the middle of the night, when he was in deep sleep, Jude would show up, smile at him and then he'd find himself kissing her. Most of the times she'd wear that green dress she wore on her sweet sixteen, and they'd be at the very same place on the outside of G-Major. Only those times, he wasn't telling her to go inside after the first rush of want had passed. No. He'd go for her lips over and over again. Yeah, it was probably guilt for having ended things that night the wrong way, for having pushed her sweet, chocolate flavored lips away from him.

Chocolate… He thought about the smile on her lips, earlier this day, when he had offered her the Brownie. She hadn't wanted to smile, but he had seen the tiny little curl of her mouth so clearly. He knew she was nervous when she produced songs that would become a single. Those were the songs she was measured at, and he could understand her fear of them being bad. Although, there was no song of her he'd ever call bad. She had released four singles the last year. The first time she had nearly vomited in his car, and after finally admitting what was going on, she had told him about said nervousness and he had made a habit of inviting her out before those recordings. He'd take her to some fancy restaurant and they'd spend entirely too much time eating a chocolate fondue. He usually hated chocolate, but in those moments even he loved it.

While drowning just another beer, he found Sadie's hand covering his. Not trusting himself around her, he warily warned. "Sadie…"

She nervously looked at him, shyly smiling. "You're telling me again how good I look?"

"No." Brushing a strand of hair out of her face, he smiled apologetically. "I think you're a nice girl. Sweet and funny…"

"That's the start of good news, isn't it?"

"I'm not in…"

"Love with me? I feared so. I'm not asking for a marriage, Tom. Just for a few more dates."

"Why?"

"Because I know you must have had some reason to be with me, other than just sex. You could have gotten that everywhere."

"Sadie…"

"You're drunk! Don't make any decisions now, okay?"

And he didn't.

"I have to go. I called you a cab, which will take you home. Call me…"

###

"Stop it, stop it… Ha ha ha…" Jude held her stomach, curling her body into the cushions of the fierce red couch in the lobby, while trying to hold her laughter. "You suck, David!"

"At least I don't drool!" He had caught her sitting on the couch a minute ago, drinking a coke. Mid-sip he had tickled her sides and not long later the coke had begun to search a way out of Jude's nose.

"Not fair! You made me!"

Kwest chuckled at the sight in front of him when he walked up to them. "I think it's fair to say Quincy is not coming back. Let's quit for toda…" When Kwest couldn't finish the word, Jude looked up while wiping her face clean, seeing what her caused her engineer to be speechless. "Oh boy."

David just leaned back and enjoyed the moment of amusement, while both Jude and Kwest hurried over to the stumbling figure at the reception.

"What the hell did you do, Tommy?" Jude tried to steady him, but couldn't do it herself without Kwest's help.

"I'm…oudda monney. Cab driver… Takes no credit ca's."

When Jude's pleading look reached him, David got up and nodded. "I'll take care of it."

"Thanks," Jude mouthed, smiling sweetly. Only to wrinkle her nose when Tommy opened his mouth to speak again. He was stinking like an ashtray lost in a brewery!

"You blond…" His hand unsteadily reached for one of Jude's curls, tugging on it. She yelped when he pulled to hard.

"Ouch! Yes I'm blond," she snapped. "You already knew that! And the hair is part of my head. You pull it out, it hurts!" She doubted he had understood. "What are we going to do with him," she asked Kwest.

"Get him into his office. I'll take care of him." Friendship was bitch! "He was gone for two hours. How'd he get so drunk?"

Jude shrugged. "Don't ask me!"

"Youa pritty blon…"

"What a compliment!" Jude took this moment with sarcasm. "Who doesn't want to be called 'pritty'!"

Kwest chuckled, which turned out to be a mistake because now Tommy started laughing, too. "Why we laughin…" Tommy stopped laughing. "Is so sad…"

"What is sad?" Kwest wondered while trying to make Tommy take the steps to his office. Better keep a conversation with him before he'd fall asleep right there. Tommy began to trip over the stairs and Kwest once again got reminded that liquor and stairs didn't combine well!

"Life…" Tommy was a depressive drunk, and not a funny one. His heavily lidded eyes looked up to Jude. "He has a bigger one than I. Did you know that? Have you seen his? It's so big…"

The way he said had Jude gasping in shock. He better not had done something truly stupid! When her cheeks turned a heavy red shade, Kwest could tell she was having the same wrong thought he had had before. "It's not what he means," he quickly corrected. "He's talking about apartments!"

"Whose apartment," Jude asked in irritation, yet highly relieved about her wrong-proven assumption. "Whoa," she shot, holding the banister when Tommy nearly stumbled and with that risked their all lives. "Watch it, drunkie!" Tommy didn't react. All his last strength was needed to focus on lifting one foot, and then the other, and then the first one again. Steps were a tricky thing.

"David's apartment. It's in the _big_ tower, next to Tommy's _little_ tower. He's a guy. He can't help but compare size!" The finally made it to the top, and Kwest kicked Tommy's ajar office door open with one foot. "Just help me drop him on the couch."

Once Tommy hit the cushions, he was asleep almost right away. But not before tugging on Jude's arm to pull her down to him, whispering, "I'm sorry…"

She sighed and shook her head, forlornly looking at Kwest. "Why is he doing this to himself?" Unconsciously her palm caressed Tommy's forehead gingerly. Sometimes Tommy reminded her of a two-year old, alone, and helpless in the big, mean world.

Kwest returned the questioning gaze. "Why do you care? I thought you were done doing that."

Jude stepped away from Tommy, realizing what she had done with her hand. As much as she was hurt, and as hard as she had tried to hate him for being so careless about the consequences of his actions, she just couldn't help but feel sorry for him. "I'm trying, Kwest. It isn't easy."

"I know. That's why he's doing what he's doing. Take off tomorrow. He won't be able to produce anyway, and let's start fresh next week."

Jude nodded, noticing that David was standing in the doorway. "I paid the cab," he told her. "You're ready to go?"

"Yeah. Let's go. Call me if you need my help, Kwest."

"Will do."

###

It was raining again. Cold air hit his skin when he stepped out of the door, a thin layer of water immediately covering his face. He didn't know why, or how, but he knew he was on the staircase again, in the back of the G-Major building, and that somewhere behind the thick curtain of raindrops pouring from the sky was Jude, crying and sad. He knew what would happen next, without being able to explain why. He liked what would happen next.

Not looking where he was stepping, he walked with secure steps through the foggy and nearly pitch black night. He had been in this situation before, he recalled faintly, but never before had it been so dark. After a couple of steps, it wasn't Jude he found. It was more black, more rain, and complete silence. Instinctively, he called her name. "Jude?" Worry laced his words, and he had not known he was worried until he had heard it in his own voice. "Jude, are you here?" She was supposed to be there, just why – that he couldn't explain. "Jude?" His way through the thick darkness continued and suddenly he saw flashes of soft light, not bright, and barely visible, and yet a stark contrast to the black he felt trapped in.

Another breeze of light appeared and he found himself walking towards it, fast and eager. Something was going on inside him. He knew what would await him, and yet he didn't. A sort of strangeness had settled inside of him. Those indescribable tugs one occasionally feels when one has an unexplainable fear that something bad was about to happen. Only he wasn't afraid. It wasn't bad. "Jude," he called again, still convinced she was near.

Suddenly, he found himself standing in his bedroom, with all darkness gone. In the center of his bed was a naked woman. She was resting on her stomach, arms curled around a pillow on which her head was resting. Long golden curly hair was spread around her like a halo, the softest sounds of breathing were audible. He couldn't even gulp anymore, so enthralled by the beauty of the girl in front of her he was. Slender curves highlighted her glorious body, a tiny waist, long legs, a firm butt, perfectly shaped, leaving him with the wish to take a small bite. One leg began to move, bending as she rolled over to her back, shamelessly allowing him to take in her front. Small feet, curling toes, more of those incredibly long legs…

His eyes were glued to her naked body, wandering from her creamy thighs to her most private area, noticing how no pubic hair was hiding anything from him. As if she knew what he desired to see, she rubbed her legs along each other, while she gave the most erotic little purr he had ever heard. The voice sounded familiar, and he found himself more intrigued by her face. As his eyes roamed higher, he admired small but perfect breasts, soft rosy nipples, hard and erect as he then noticed he was, too.

"I've been waiting for you," the girl whispered, raising one hand, curling a finger as if to say 'come here'. Tommy stepped closer to the foot of the bed, allowing his hand to touch her. First her lower leg, then the knee, then higher. He had not felt skin so silken and soft before, and he knew he never wanted to feel anything else again. His fingers curved around the beginning of her thigh, caressing towards the back of it, while with the other he held himself up as he crawled on top of her. Fingertips darted out, digging into her flesh. She felt hot under his palm, heated, as he knew he was too. An unknown sense of want captured his will. His head leaned closer towards her, his nostrils catching her scent. It was deep, alluring, musky, and unlike anything else. It was the desire, he smelled, her longing for him.

"Tommy…" she purred, eyes closed as she arched her back under his teasing. Then he saw it, those eyes, big though closed, the soft red mouth, too mesmerizing not to kiss, the small nose, flushed cheeks.

"Jude," he breathed, even more aroused as he was before. His sex was engorged with blood, with want, with the thirst to have her in any way possible. It strained his pants, and he reached for the snap of his jeans unsteadily, wanting to free himself.

Slender fingers covered his hand, and she began to help him. "Hurry, please hurry…" The keening sound coming from her throat made him throb, her fingers so close, yet so far made him desperate. "Ohhh…" she breathed full of longing, sultrier than he had believed was possible, "take me. Take me now!" Once more legs rubbed together, and he wished for nothing more than to be between, deep inside, surrounded by her. He became annoyed, helpless, and vigorous in his attempts to get his pants out of the way. "I can't wait any longer," she crooned, eyes tightly shut, "I'm so wet for you. Why can't you take me, Tommy? Why can't you make me yours?"

He wanted to speak, wanted to tell her he yearned for nothing more than that. He wanted to kiss her ruby lips, wanted to feel the velvet insides of her female gender, he wanted to make her scream his name over and over again, until she couldn't scream any longer, when suddenly – she was gone. He was back in the darkness, surrounded by rain. He could hardly stand still, the neglected erection in his pants painful by now. "Jude?! Jude, where are you," he called, wanting back the one thing he needed more than anything else ever before, "Jude?!"

"It's Kwest," a voice intruded his dream, startling him. "Wake up already!"

And then there was light, bright ceiling light, and a stiffness he couldn't quite place. While his mind still tried to make sense of his surroundings, he heard Kwest's voice again. And it was a harsh voice.

Kwest had thought about leaving him alone in the office, and just go home, but he had promised to take care of Quincy. When his friend's little dream had turned an unwelcome shade, at least for him, he had left the office and waited outside. Jude's name though had been clearly audible, even through closed doors! Lucky for them, they were the only ones left in the office. "Just to clarify something," Kwest threatened. "You ever have a wet dream again when I'm around, we're done being friends! I'll be waiting at the car until your ready."

Ready? Tommy didn't understand the meaning until he sat up, noticing a wet stain down his pants, at a very distinctive spot. "Shit!" What the fuck? That hadn't happened since he was a teenager! He was past that phase of wet dreams and sticky sheets. He took care of his needs now! In the middle of his irritation his conscience was hit by the memories of his dream, and it felt like a sucker punch into his gut. Holy fucking shit! Not that he wasn't used to sexual dreams, and despite the fact that he should be ashamed about it, the fact that it was Jude wasn't that startling either. It was the intensity of the dream, the way he could still palpate the longing he had experienced when her yearning body had writhed beneath him. His cock twitched at the thought, and he growled in protest. He needed to get out of here, and he needed a cold shower. A long, hard, icy shower!

**Chapter 6**

Both Harrison sisters stood in the hallway downstairs of their home on Monday morning, eying the small table there, and more important the big flower bouquet on top of it. It had arrived this morning, and Victoria had welcomed it. Sadly, the delivery clerk had informed her that there had been a card with the flowers. But two blocks away, at a red light, there had been a small accident and three bouquets had fallen from the usually secure shelf of the delivery van they were transported in. Therefore, the adjoining card was only a small piece of wet, unreadable paper with a strange looking picture in front and some indecipherable scribbles on the insides.

Sadie sneered, her mood around Jude lately at a steady level of annoyance. "I bet they are from David. My ex likes sending flowers."

Jude rolled her eyes and took the piece of paper with the aim to discard it. "Your ex? You mean the guy that you dated four times? Only because he is the captain of the football team and you were the head-cheerleader? That ex? I'm damn sure I remember the countless occasions that guy sent you flowers! Wait – was it…zero times?"

Scoffing, Sadie fished the gooey remains of the card out of Jude's hands. "Maybe they are from Tommy!" He was drunk the last time she had seen him, and maybe now he had finally made up his mind. It was possible, wasn't it?

"Whatever," Jude brushed her off. The honking noise outside was her savior, and she grabbed her new leather jacket before sprinting towards David's deep-red Lexus cabriolet. "Fancy ride…" she grinned.

"Ain't it? Haven't seen you in while." After having taken Jude home last Thursday after the drunken-Tommy incident, David had not seen Jude again. Friday she had missed school to sleep in and the weekend he had been away with some friends. "How are things at the Quincy-frontier?"

"He called twice, trying to find out if he said something embarrassing the other day. He wrapped it up in apologies, though. Portia called several times, begging me to come by and test out some more miniskirts, and I even got a call from my cell phone company, informing me that I paid 13 cents too much on my last bill!"

"No way," he chuckled. "What'cha gonna do with that sudden fortune?"

"Spending it all at once by buying something really fancy!"

"Like?"

"Half a bugglegum?" Both laughed. "How's Amanda? I heard she gave you a call this weekend!"

"How'd you find out?" David was impressed.

"I have my sources." He was skeptical. "Okay, I was at McDonald's, and she was standing right in front of me when she called you. She only noticed me after the call, and I'm not sure what you've told her but it surely had her embarrassed when she found out I had listened."

He laughed. "I told her to stop calling me, then she begged me to reconsider our relationship. She mumbled something about mistakes and 'sluts in short skirts', which I assume was a pick at you, and then she kept telling me stories about how much fun we used to have together. I hardly listened to her in the end, but couldn't bring myself to just hang up."

"So you're over her?"

"Yes. When you think about your ex and the things you loved the most about your time with her are the moments that you didn't spend together, it's a sign it's not meant to be."

"Amen! Sorry about last Thursday. We had plans and…"

"Don't worry. No strings, remember? That means no guilt, either!"

"I like that! But, I also like kissing you and…" she grinned when he stopped the car at the next stop sign, leaning over and gracing her lips with a soft but perfect kiss.

"Should have done that earlier," he mused.

"Definitely," Jude agreed.

###

Jude and David entered the school together, holding hands. It was the first time Jude was here since coming back from tour. No one had seen her new style yet and so far, from the little reactions she had caught, it promised to be a small shock for everyone. They were both late, deciding that missing the first hour of the day would only make their appearance more surprising. No one really cared for Jude to show up, but David was the 'cool guy with the leather jacket' and 'everyone' would look when he arrived.

"You're ready," he asked Jude whisperingly. "Five minutes and class is over." Then their show would start. A heavy make out session in the biggest and most used hallway in school. They were looking forward getting caught.

"I'm ready." Jude smirked and wrapped an arm around David. "Let's take the remaining five minutes to warm up…" With that she pressed her lips on his and he grinned into the kiss, not minding her idea at all. Once their mouths fused, it didn't take long for them to forget time and space. In no time David had her pushed up against the lockers, one of her legs angled around his waist, holding it there, while the other one gently caressed Jude's neck.

They didn't hear the whistles, nor noticed the crowd building around them. They did notice the principal though, and how he threatened them with severe punishment, shouldn't they stop immediately. David and Jude parted, slightly out of breath. With a blush Jude noticed how the lower button of the plain black short-sleeved blouse she was wearing had come undone. And how her skirt had hitched up to reveal quite a lot of her legs!

"Follow me now," The principal sternly demanded. "Better be prepared for your parents. No one has sex in my hallways!"

Jude rolled her eyes, and David scoffed. "It wasn't sex. Trust me, you would have noticed the difference!"

Sticking out her tongue behind the principal's back, Jude liked how fearless David spoke up. Sure, with all the money and connections he had he didn't really need to finish high school to get by, but still – not everyone was this fierce! "Who'll he call for you?" Jude wondered, knowing about his dead parents.

"No one. He'll realize I'm eighteen when he begins to search for a phone number to call. You?"

"My Dad is on business and my mom went to play Tennis this morning. Sadie? No idea. Don't really care."

The 'don't really care'-comment turned into quite the opposite when Jude found out who had been called. "What are you doing here, Tommy?"

"Ms. Harrison," Principal Fuller warned. "You've already rebelled enough today, don't you think? Mr. Quincy is here because we needed someone responsible to pick you up. You refuse to apologize for what you and Mr. Moore did. That means you get suspended for the rest of the day!"

"Suspended?"

"Yeah, suspended?" Tommy repeated questioningly, not knowing why he was here other than that Darius had gotten a call from Jude's school, had turned angry and had demanded Tommy to take care of it. Now he was here, clueless. "What did they do?"

"I believe the current term is 'dry-humping'. Ms. Harrison and Mr. Moore were caught almost having sex in the middle of the hallway after class. Each also missed the first class. And, both refuse to apologize. Now, Mr. Moore is already on his way home after I informed him that Jude's label would take care of her for the rest of the morning."

Somewhere after 'dry-humping', Tommy had stopped listening. Instead, his eyes were on Jude. Memories of his dream from last week hit him so sharp that he nearly flushed red. It hadn't stayed one dream. That night he had found himself in the very same location, doing the very same thing and being just as unable to finish it as he had been the first time. He ordered himself to not think about that now, and instead speechlessness overcame him when he tried to make sense of what she was doing lately. It couldn't all be because of him, could it? In school this morning, he hadn't even been around. And, from the shocked look on her face when she saw him entering, he assumed she had not planned for him to find out, either.

"Well, are you taking her with you now? I'm sorry, but I have a class to teach, myself."

"Sure," Tommy affirmed, snapping out of his confusion. He signed the piece of paper that confirmed he would take Jude with him, and then went ahead to the car, not looking at her. He knew she was following from the angry stomps of her heels. Those heels, which made Jude's dangerously, appealing legs even longer, had him – again – reminded of another dream. This morning. Again, no finish, but she had teased the hell out of him by stretching on his soundboard like a purring kitten in the sun, wearing nothing but heels. Shiny black sling sandals. Her little toes had wiggled in anticipation when he had trailed his fingertips up the inside of her thighs, wanting to reach the hot core but being unable to due to whatever wicked dream-reasons there were! Dreams were supposed to be nice; to allow you to do things reality kept you from. But, his dreams seemed to play against him. Teasing – yes, action – no. If only he could file a complaint!

When they reached his car, Jude wordlessly entered, not bothering to even say 'Hi', which she hadn't said so far. Two minutes later, Tommy was back on the street, but not taking the road to G-Major. "Where are we going?"

"Somewhere. I don't know yet. Darius doesn't want you around right now." "Are you kidding? He doesn't want me to record? I could make him money as we speak!"

Tommy shook his head, unable to fathom how she could completely tune out the reasons why she was here in the first place. "Darius cares about a good education more than anything! You can be grateful when he's not going to rip your head off once we're back! He told me to talk some sense into you, afraid you're going to risk your career over being in love."

"That's not what this was about," Jude corrected offended, mildly hurt in her pride that people assumed she'd actually be that stupid. "David and I weren't even dry-humping!" She defensively crossed her arms in front of her, occasionally pulling the edges of her skirt down just a little further. Now that she was alone in a car with Tommy, the outfit seemed scarily revealing. She had forgotten her jacket in David's car and really regretted not wearing jeans today! "We just kissed…"

"Must have been one hell of a kiss to get suspended for it!" He chimed sardonically.

Jude noticed how Tommy tried not to look at her, and wondered why he did so. She was locked inside a car with him. Wouldn't this be the perfect opportunity for him to keep on apologizing for his mistake? She could get angry with him then, and tell him to shut up. Now, she just felt bad. She realized she had gone too far this morning, but it had all seemed so cool and right just then. Now she dreaded ever going home again. The bad grades from last year still had her mother disappointed; starting the new year with a suspension would only make Victoria even madder.

"If we're not going anywhere particular, can we get some breakfast? I'm hungry, and I haven't eaten all day."

He barely nodded. "I guess there's some strip club still open somewhere."

Jude's stubbornly moping eyes shot at him in fury. "What?"

"You look like some cheap hook-up, Jude." He could only laugh, almost sad, when he caught her pulling the skirt down her legs to make at least the impression she was wearing something with actual fabric. Not that she didn't look good! But, she didn't look like the girl he used to know. Then again, neither did the Jude he saw each night in his dreams, naked and begging. Feeling how an unwelcome heat floated over his skin, he shook his head. Get a grip, he told himself. "Is it even a skirt, or just a belt?"

"It was a skirt this morning," she mumbled, causing him to chuckle. When Jude heard, she cracked a smile herself. Where was the gain in getting angry when he did have a point!

"What happened?" he teased. He wasn't sure if she'd take up the bait, or just tell him to shut up again. But, he needed to try. "You lost half of it?"

"Funny! No. This morning it looked decent. I guess those sort of skirts aren't made to sit in." Not the banter-starting reply he had hoped for, but at least she had answered. Even with a slight smile. He wasn't sure if he should pursue a conversation for they were sitting in a somewhat peaceful silence. But, Jude was never one to enjoy that. "I need to ask you something, and please be honest. Please." He nodded warily. Every time she highlighted the words 'honest' and 'please' he remembered how he had lied to her before. Guilt sucked!

"We got a flower bouquet this morning. With a card. But, the delivery guy messed up in front of a red light and the card ended up in a puddle of water. The point is, we don't know where those flowers came from, and for whom they are. Did you send them to Sadie? She looked sad this weekend, and maybe you wanted to apologize for something."

"They weren't for Sadie," he admitted. Jude sighed and gave him an accusing look, one that led him to instantly defend himself. "I didn't send them as another apology. I get it, okay? Right now you don't like me, and you need time. I listened the other night. But, Kwest kept making hints that I completely made a fool of myself Thursday, being drunk and…" He really hoped Jude wasn't around at the time of his dirty dreaming. "I know I asked you before, but I didn't say anything stupid to you that day, did I?"

Jude's eyes turned a jesting manner, which surprised him. "So basically, you sent me flowers with a card to ask me whether you did something stupid? Could have just called, Quincy."

"I did. Twice! I asked, you hung up!"

"Oh," she sheepishly gave away. "Right. I forgot. No, you didn't say anything more stupid than usual."

"Did you just quip, Harrison?"

"I used to do that often," she recalled.

"Pre-hating-me."

Jude looked away, not sure what to reply. "I tried hating you, Tommy. It's not working. I told you that maybe I can be friends with you again someday."

"If I break up with Sadie."

She laughed bitterly. "I hope that has nothing to do with me, because if you break up with her only so I stop being mad at you – it's not working. If you really care for her, be with her."

Hadn't he been driving just then, he'd have thrown his hands up in frustration. "You're kidding me, right?" Jude looked at him startled. "One moment you say I should have never started something with her, because of you, and the next moment you say that I shouldn't even consider you in my decisions anymore!"

"Are you in love with Sadie? When you look at her," Jude angrily asked, "do you feel butterflies in your stomach? When you close your eyes, is it her face you see then? When think about tomorrow, is the first thought you have to spend time with her? Because if that's the case, then no, I'm the very last person who should be on your mind when deciding whether or not to keep dating her! Do you feel all those things for Sadie?"

"No."

"Then you should have asked yourself, is it worth risking our friendship to get laid! You think I want to keep you from falling in love? Gosh, Tommy! As hard as it is, I don't want you to be alone for the rest of your life, just because it's not me you want! But, I mean you have a book full of numbers of hot girls you know! And, if the only reason you're with my sister is because your stupid boner needed some attention, then would it have been too much to ask to NOT fuck MY sister?"

"That's not what it is about!" He barked back.

"Then what is it about? Tell me because I don't understand! You don't love Sadie, yet you spent the summer with her! You also go and tell me you would do SO MUCH for me, because I'm your best friend! Not to forget the whole 'I'd never touched her, if had known the consequences'-crap you said. I don't get the connection, Tommy. If it's me you care about, how come you chose her? And don't tell me it's because of the sex! Because if you traded me for that, I'm not going to have any problems any longer with hating you!"

He didn't know what to say. So he changed the topic, foolishly asking, "I thought you were mad at me for lying?"

"Asshole!" She snapped angrily.

"Hey!" He warned.

"What? Want me to use a 'nicer' word," she challenged, feeling the rage running through her veins. He was simply incapable of being honest, was he? "How about loser? Or coward? Hey, let's try dick-head, or sex-junkie! We can also try some food things – have you ever been called a bratwurst before? Or something funny… You're a brainless little turtle who is so slow to catch on to things that even yesterday's newspaper would win a race against you!" Jude took a deep breath and smirked devilishly, seeing that Tommy's little vein on his forehead had started throbbing as it always did when she was annoying him. "And now that we're done with the nice things to say, let me try the facts. Yes, he does have a bigger one!"

So far Tommy had just been pissed off and annoyed to no end. He had not known how to explain to her why he dated Sadie, so why was it such a bad thing to change the topic? But, Jude's little rant had him forgetting his guilt and when her last words hit his ears, he was only able to slam the breaks and turn to her with unconcealed acrimony. "SHUT UP!"

"Why," Jude kept peeving, not at all caring. "Did I hit home? Can't bring yourself to accept things, huh? I've noticed!" She hadn't meant to belittle his 'size', not that she had any idea is 'it' could be belittled. But, then she had remembered Kwest's words from last week. With guys, it was all about size. And she really wanted to make a point here!

"You don't even know what you're talking about," he hissed. Cars behind him began to honk, but he was too caught up in his agitation. "I don't know why I am with Sadie! And why didn't I tell you I am? Because, I knew you'd make a huge deal out of it. Am I feeling sorry for everything? Yes. Would I do it again? No. But, do I need to endure your little outburst? NO!"

"Yes, you do," Jude shot back.

"NO I DON'T!"

"YES!"

"HEY!" Suddenly, both Jude and Tommy's heads whipped to the side, staring at the big and angry man at Tommy's door, looking like he was about to explode. "You two mind fighting somewhere else and not in the middle of the street with a fucking traffic jam building behind you?!"

Wordlessly, Tommy started the car again and drove further down the street, coming to a stop at a near restaurant. He parked in a free spot, turned the engine off, and looked over to Jude, who looked back at him. Her eyes were big and confused and just plain lost. And just like that, they both started laughing.

###

"Felt good, didn't it?" Tommy sat down on the bench of one of the booths, Jude sitting down across from him.

"Yelling at you? Definitely." She pulled the menu out of his hands, not caring that she had her own one in front of her. "So what'cha gonna pick?"

"I'd tell you, but someone just stole my menu."

Jude grinned, still reading the items on the card in her hand. "How mean! Wonder what made that person do such a mean thing?"

"Oh, I wasn't very considerate lately, so I guess it's her way of punishing me." He scooted closer to her, tapping his finger on one side of the menu. Jude still didn't look at him, but allowed him to get a look at what she was reading. "There's another menu," she informed him dryly. "Why do you need to read in mine?"

"It's my menu. You just stole it. If you want one for yourself, take the other menu. If not, accept to share. I'm sorry for everything, Jude."

She slouched down into the seat, facing away from him. "Tommy… I'm here. You're here. I'm not yelling at you, and neither am I telling you to leave. Why can't you just be happy with the little things?"

"I can't be happy as long as I know you're mad at me." He wanted to brush the little strand of hair out of her face. He wanted to tilt her chin upwards, making her look at him with those beautiful, big blue orbs that he missed staring into so much. But, one wrong touch, one inappropriate gesture, and he feared she'd run. "Forgive me, Jude. I don't expect you to trust me right away. And, I don't expect us to be as close as we used to be, again immediately. But please, forgive me."

"You're stealing Brian Adams' words," she pointed out. Her look at him was scolding, the corners of her eyes crinkling in that teasing way he longed to see so badly. With relieve he began to hope that she was having a tougher time than she let on, staying mad at him.

"I can sing them for you, if that helps my case!" He innocently offered.

"Don't you dare!" He was desperate, and she didn't trust his actions in those moments! Jude scooted away from him when she became aware of how close they were sitting next to each other, and how his upper arm was touching hers. It was a warm summer's day, and neither one wore something long-sleeved. Skin in contact was something she couldn't bare these days. Not with him.

"It's the flirting."

He looked up at her, patiently waiting for her to elaborate, ignoring the startling amount of tingles the touch of her skin had made him feel.

"It's gone. I thought about it, you know…the things that we did last year and that made me have so much hope? It was the flirting. They way we talked; the way we goofed around. I've never acted like that with any of my other friends. And most of them are guys, too. That's what you miss, Tommy. That's what 'normal' was for us. I can't go back there."

"That's bad. Because I don't know how not to do those things around you," he confessed in slight despair. "We click, Jude. You say something, and I reply, and that's enough to start one of those moments that you don't want. I cannot promise you that it won't happen again, and neither can you."

"I say we're doomed, then." She cracked a smile from beneath the curtain of hair she was hiding after.

Silence overcame them until the waitress arrived. "You picked yet?"

"Two coffee," Tommy began to order, "some toast, strawberries, a chocolate muffin, extra peanut butter, and extra jelly. Oh, and some omelets. You want anything else," he asked almost absentmindedly, taking the menu to skim it one last time, not that he needed to. It was a weird habit of them to read menus though they usually knew what they wanted, no matter if the menu even offered it.

"No," Jude sadly smiled. It was the first time Tommy had ever ordered for her. "That's all." A heavy load of emotions overcame her, and she barely contained her tears as she hurried out of the restaurant, back to the car. The fact that he knew what she wanted even without asking was just too much. A moment later Tommy was at her side again, not caring for her protest when he wrapped his arms around her, engulfing her objecting fragile frame for a long while. Eventually she stopped pushing him away, and pulled him closer instead. Her nose buried into his shoulder, taking a twisted satisfaction in smelling his familiar scent, while her tears dampened the shirt he wore. He couldn't care less.

"Shh," he soothed, stroking her silken hair with one hand while the other one traced the softest circles on her lower back. As he held her, he found that her hair had a different scent than it used to have. Maybe it was the different hair color, or she had just changed her shampoo. For him, it was just another change in her life he had missed, even though it was something so blatantly unimportant. Occasionally, his lips would place an almost impalpable little peck on her cheek, which only made her cry harder as he noticed after a while. Leaning back, he cupped her tear-strained cheek sweetly. "What's going on?"

Jude sputtered a laugh, and pushed him away. This time he let her. She wiped her face quickly, and hoped she wasn't too much of a walking mess. "Stupid question, Quincy! You happened! Do you even know how hard it is to get over you?" There were moments when he was so incredibly sweet to her that she had troubles breathing.

He wanted to pull her into his arms, kiss her deeper than David ever could, and tell her that getting over him was the very last thing he'd ever want her to do. And that thought shocked him to the bone. Sexual attraction was one thing, needing her emotionally a completely different one! He wasn't sure he could handle those feelings at the moment, and so he quickly brushed them off his mind, ignoring them. She was too young, and he was too jaded. Therefore, they'd never match as a couple anyway! Looking at her, he found her waiting for his reaction. He just said what he had been saying so often lately, he had even lost count. "Sorry…"

Another laugh from Jude. Maybe it was a bit of giving up. She had seen the turmoil of thoughts in his deep cerulean eyes and known he was hiding things from her. Feelings, facts,… She didn't know what it was, only that she would never find out. Tom Quincy wasn't a man of many words, let alone of explanations, so why was she still hoping for him to explain his complicated self to her? As she tried to take slower breaths, she felt tears returning to her eyes. "I miss you." It was so hard staying mad at him.

Never before had he been happier. He felt the biggest rock of the earth falling from his sore shoulders, having feared he'd never hear her say anything nice to him anymore. "Me too, girl."

Wanting to put an end to all the drama in her life, she offered a new beginning. "You have to stop apologizing. I've heard you the first time." Taking the paper tissue he handed her, she deftly cleaned her nose. "I meant what I said. If we just return to what we were before all this happened, I'm only ending up hurt again."

"Let's make baby steps, then. You stop yelling and bitching at me, and I try and not to be myself around you."

"That's ridiculous! Just…let me find you, okay? Don't beg me to be friends with you. Don't send me flowers. And don't pretend you don't remember what you said last Thursday while you were drunk! I'm not stupid, okay? If you really were afraid of having embarrassed yourself, you'd be asking Kwest for reminders! You just think I'm having pity with you, or something!"

"No, I don't," he muttered, fearing he was even blushing. It wasn't the drunken slurs he was afraid of, but the part that followed once he had been out and asleep. Not used to embarrassment, he busied himself with straightening his clothes.

"Honesty – Quincy. Stop being afraid of how I will react. If you lie to me one more time, you and I are done for good." He had never heard her being more serious.

"I promise."

"Good. Then let's start over." She held out her hand, and he chuckled, accepting it. A confirming handshake later, he nodded towards the restaurant. "Our breakfast is waiting."

"Oh God, I totally forgot!"

"You never cease to amaze me!"

"Careful, Quincy."

"Honesty – remember?"


	4. Chapter 7 and 8

**Chapter seven**

A week had passed since the day in the restaurant and to say things had turned a more normal way would be the biggest lie ever told. No, things had not gotten easier. They had gotten weird. Tommy didn't know how to react around Jude, and Jude didn't know how to see Tommy as nothing but a friend who also was having an affair with her sister. Yes, they were still dating. Reasons? Jude didn't know. She claimed she didn't care. Now she was sitting in the lobby of G-Major, staring at Tommy's office door, waiting for Sadie and Tommy to emerge from it again.

"Must be one hell of an interesting door," David quipped when he plopped down next to her on the bright red couch. "What's going on behind there?"

"No idea. But," she pointed out with gesturing hands, "Tommy and Sadie are behind there."

"Interesting. The guy you don't care about and the sister that hurt you by demonstrating the ways of sex in your living room are in there, and you stare at the door like a hyena watching her prey. What does that tell me?" he mockingly asked himself with a single finger tapping on his chin.

Jude rolled her eyes and turned away from the door, even stubbornly refusing to reply to that.

When he raised an eyebrow, quirking it just the right way to crack a smile on her face, she offered a giggle. "It means nothing! Tommy and I have stopped fighting. He's living his life, and I'm living my life. Maybe one day he and I will be friends again, but for now he's just the person dating my sister. See," she asked, pointing a proud finger at herself, "I'm not crying, I'm not emotional, I'm not even fazed!"

David nodded unconvinced, looking over his shoulder towards Tommy's office door. "What if I told you he and your sister just came out, and are now making out in front of the door?"

"Still nothing," she assured. An invisible flame began to burn under her butt. It was making sitting almost impossible! Like a million bees swarming all around her, and she was ordered to sit still and do nothing. She couldn't imagine Tommy would possibly do that, after all those apologies he had made, and yet – were they kissing? "Damn it," she shot and whipped her head towards the door. The brown wood was still closed, as if it mocked her by its unaltered state. "Idiot," she muttered.

"Loser," he flipped back, grinning. "You're still caring. I'd be shocked if you wouldn't! Amanda and her new guy strolled around in school today, and I admit it made me sick in my skin. I really cared for her. Knowing I'm not the first thing on her mind any longer makes it really tough to be around her right now!"

Jude's face turned a pitiful shade. "Oh… Isn't the big game tonight? The one where you have to play and she's the head-cheerleader and has to be around?"

"Yes," David chuckled, "But she's around during each play. Cheerleaders usually are. What's the annoying part is that her new guy is part of my team! He's not even a senior! She's trading me for a little kid!" His voice rose slightly, not agitated, but annoyed. Jude responded with a teasing grin.

"Poor you," she belittled playfully. Her hand patted his thigh and he tilted his head towards her, knowing she was making fun of him. "Want me to come to the game, too," Jude asked in sympathy.

"Would you?"

When he honestly pleaded, she started laughing. "No biggie."

"What's no biggie," Sadie Harrison asked, interrupting the conversation by that. Tommy was trailing behind, uncomfortably shifting his weight from one foot to another. His eyes were far from Jude's and she wanted to roll her own ones, maybe even scoff at the more than obvious effort he took to ensure that.

"The game," David answered while Jude was busy pretending not to look at Tommy while doing exactly that. "Big one tonight. Amanda will be there, and you know how she and Jude never got along well. I asked Jude to come despite that."

"We should all go," Sadie suggested so nonchalantly that it rattled each one. Now both Tommy and Jude shared a look full of objection and the mutual feeling that that was a very bad idea.

"You want to go to a high school game?" Jude asked Sadie incredulously, subtly playing with her sister's laughable fear of doing anything that was even remotely considered 'kiddie-stuff'. "Can't you and Tommy go to some fancy club or something? You know, where only 'cool' people are allowed to go?"

"Yeah," Tommy agreed, "There's this club and…it's high school! A place full of groupies!"

That got a scoff from the younger Harrison. "Not everyone is a groupie," Jude muttered under her breath, catching the little glare Tommy sent at her. "Some people actually have taste."

Sadie ignored Jude's words as she turned to Tommy, who looked all but happy. "Pretty please? I've been meaning to go for so long. Amanda always bugged me, and now I've just the right boyfriend to put her into place! My life is awesome right now, and I want to show off!" That, and Jude rigorously ignored her at home and while she wasn't necessarily a fan of Jude right now, either, she yet wanted to have at least the tiniest bit of part in her little sister's life.

Tommy hardly listened, his focus on Jude. Her face grimaced almost artistically at Sadie's words, and he had to bite down on his cheeks to keep from laughing. Suddenly, Jude's head spun around and he was startled by the sudden capture of his eyes that were locked to hers immediately.

"She's right. You should come."

"See," a very surprised Sadie tried to agree, "even Jude thinks so."

"If you want me to," Tommy mumbled, not addressing Sadie though. He was more than reluctant, but if Jude wanted it, than he was going to do it. A part of him laughed at himself, having always found hilarity in jumping at demands, but this was Jude so his actions really shouldn't surprise him. "Fine."

When the couple left, David nudged Jude as if he wanted to test whether she was herself, or a cardboard copy that could speak. "Are you really you? Did you just invite Tommy and Sadie to the game? You're aware that they will probably sit with you, and then you'll have to endure it all alone, because I'll be down on the field, trying to stealthily foul a man from my own team." He was so going after Amanda's new boy toy!

"I'm aware," Jude stated fiercely. "Cold turkey. That's what junkies do. Spending time with them will help me get over him!"

"Or break what little, healed heart you've got in there," he countered, tapping his finger just above her chest. She squashed it away chidingly.

"I can handle. I'm a fighter. I go headfirst into things, and I don't hide. Cold turkey. That's the motto for tonight." And that aside, maybe it would take her mind of the fact that she had finished recording her new single today. Deep down she was cowed to no end, fearing another failure. She couldn't afford the new album to flunk again!

David warily looked at her, wondering just how much she was overestimating herself. "If you say so…"

###

"You never told me they are selling popcorn at games these days," Sadie observed as she tried to find a way towards an empty spot on the bleachers. She had two giant bowls of popcorn securely hugged to her chest, and a diet coke wrapped in slender fingers while her four-inch heels made walking almost impossible. Not that Sadie cared about the latter.

Jude, who wore her favorite pair of Chucks, could only shake her head. She was trailing right behind her sister, with Tommy trailing behind her. He was wearing sneakers, and had also no problems in walking. "Popcorn came with the new student council," Jude explained, taking a very close look at her sister's steps. The way she was tapping along the wooden stands had Jude fearing she'd stumble any second. "Why are you wearing high-heels? You know how sucky these stands are!"

"Amanda is taller than me."

The flat comeback had Jude rolling her eyes. Finally, they reached a free spot and of course, given the limited space, Jude found herself squashed next to Tommy. Thighs were pressing against each other, the warmth of their bodies mingling, and she tried to remember if she had ever been so close to him before. Of course, she had seen those legs naked already. He had well-built legs, Jude recalled from when she had seen said legs supporting his weight while giving it to her sister.

"Isn't this nice?" Sadie asked with a big smile and a fist full of popcorn. "All three of us, having fun? A week ago, I didn't think that moment would come and now look at us! Jude's okay with you and me," she stated happily, nudging Tommy's side with her arm, "And I'm trying to become part of your friendship, so I'm not feeling so lost when I'm around you two. Life's great!"

"Very," Jude agreed, clearly sarcastic. Lucky for Jude, Sadie had never been good in making that out. Tommy stayed completely silent, and despite not wanting to pursue any sort of conversation with him that night, since it was hard enough to be part of this twisted sort of date, she couldn't help but ask. "You're okay there, Quincy? Looking stiff tonight."

"I'm good," he stated. His words were dry, and his eyes were firmly aimed into the air in front of him. "I'm good." With growing awareness he felt Jude's warm leg pressed against his. The air was warm that night, and she was wearing a short-sleeved shirt and jeans. Not the normal sort of jeans though. No, these were the skin tight ones, slightly ripped in front and on the back of her thigh, giving him torturous and teasing little opportunities to peek glances at her creamy legs. Those jeans were solely designed to tantalize him. Sadie was wearing a short skirt, and he couldn't even find a tiny amount of interest in that fact.

"You don't look very good," Jude pointed out without looking at him. "You look weird."

He was feeling weird! And her constant questions weren't helping the least bit! Lately, he had discovered how attractive Jude could look, if she tried. Not that he minded the fact, having always loved the occasional candy for the eye, _but_ now he was cramped between two sisters, one he was dating, one he couldn't – even if he wanted to. This was the very last moment his mind should be remembering the way Jude's legs looked without denim covering them! And of course, the various dreams of a writhing, arousing, and begging, naked Jude whenever he closed his eyes weren't doing him any good either. He felt like a teenager again, always thinking about girls and how they looked naked. It had gotten him into enough trouble those days! Why did he even care how Jude looked naked?! Since the first time she had shown up in one of those short skirts that had played havoc with his mind, his thoughts kept drifting back to her body, intrigued just how equally good the rest of her looked without clothes, and how close his dreams matched the reality. He had a sick mind, he knew very well! And he'd be laughing at himself for his pathetic behavior, wouldn't he already be preoccupied with pitying himself!

"Popcorn," Sadie asked, holding the bowl in front of Tommy. Jude tried to make sense of the game that was unfolding down on the field when her arm reached out to grab the salty food. Tommy stiffened, feeling trapped between those sisters. Breath hitched in his throat, and he wanted to shut his eyes as tightly as possible to drown out the fact that Jude's hand was entirely too close to certain, anatomical parts of him that started to play against him! Why was he sitting in the middle, anyway?

Usually, he was cool; he was always on top of a situation. He was the one making everyone else uncomfortable by his smug grins and his cocky attitude. He was charming, and had a smile to die for! His skin had the ability to glow, he had been told that more than once. Women had equaled him to ancient greek Gods! He was the seducer, the big man, the dominant figure in any given situation! Now he felt like an idiot, unable to come up with even one smart thing to say or one reasonable gesture to make. Like an elephant in a store full of bone china he reached for the popcorn, coming into contact with Jude's hand while she just pulled away. A split second later, the bowl was empty and popcorn all over the stands. "Damn it," he murmured self-chidingly as he whisked the remains off his jeans, hoping he hadn't caused too much of a scene to be noticed. That was yet another thing that was wringing his nerves dry that night. He was surrounded by at least two hundred girls, all teenagers, and if they knew he was here, they would overrun him!

Sadie worriedly asked him if he was alright, while Jude couldn't help but snicker at his idiotic behavior. Just when he was sitting back up, trying hard to relax, two of Amanda's friends came up to them. Panic once more flashed his eyes but to his greatest relieve they seemed not to be here for him.

Jude already wrecked her brain about a good reason to leave, one being to get new popcorn, when Steffy and Rachel came to a stop right in front of her. "You're Jude, right?"

She looked up, quirking her brow quizzically. She had expected them to be there to ask for Tommy's autograph, or phone number, and she had secretly wondered whether or not he'd hand it over. The phone number, of course. "Yes, it's me. You should know," Jude quipped, "since you only live two houses away from my house. Or, because of the fact that we have three classes together."

"I usually don't bother to remember names of those who'll never be something else than a waste of space in the yearbook," Rachel sneered. "Amanda wants you to break up with David. Understood?"

Jude didn't even fight the laughter that bubbled up at those words. "What?"

Rachel turned to Steffy. "I hate when they are stupid." Readjusting her smoky eyes to Jude, she smiled full of fakeness. "You will break up with David. Amanda said so."

"Well, Amanda isn't Simon, so I say she's out of luck."

"Who is Simon?"

"Never mind," Jude sighed. "Look, deliver your boss a message from me. Tell her I don't care what she wants me to do. Oh – and tell her she's a bad cheerleader! A very bad one!"

"Oh my God," Steffy began to say as she squirmed next to Rachel. "Look! Look! It's little Tommy Q!"

Tommy, who had so far pretended not to listen, now flinched and suddenly found himself cornered by a bunch of other girls who had heard his name being mentioned, too. Jude took this as her golden opportunity to leave the bleachers. Maybe she could hide underneath Quincy's H2 until the game was over. This was getting too ridiculous for her!

###

"You fled and left me alone," Tommy accused when he found Jude sitting on the hood of the H2, her journal in her hands in which she aimlessly flipped the pages. He assumed she was looking for an empty one since a yellow pencil was in her mouth, trapped between her lips, waiting to be used. Not that he could blame her for preferring solitude over hideous crowds screaming over a lame game.

She took the pencil out of her mouth, but didn't look at him when he came closer. "I'm sure Sadie made sure no one laid a hand on you. How did the game go?" She had heard occasional screams, rows of applause, but also some severe booing. The car was parked only a couple of meters away from the stands, and she enjoyed the cooling air of the darkening night. She had never been a fan of school events, this being no exception.

"No idea. Whose team was David's?"

"The red one."

"I think they won."

"Ah." She cracked a smile, knowing Tommy was just as disinterested in watching games as she was. Last year, during the Super Bowl, he and Kwest had made a big show out of watching the game in the lobby of G-Major, and while everyone had believed they were die-hard fans, Jude had known they were faking it when the blue team had scored and they had cheered, despite wearing orange shirts to show they were fans of the other team. "Got bored too?"

"Severely," he confessed with a chuckle. He unlocked the car and a moment later music came from the speaker system inside. "Sadie is lost though. She went to talk to Amanda, and I haven't seen her since."

"Quincy," Jude scolded playfully, "I think you were supposed to go with her! She wanted to show you off!"

"I don't let myself get shown off," he stated as a matter of fact. "I'm done being someone else's arm candy. Those days are over. What'cha working on?" He found it odd she yet hadn't looked at him, and so he leaned back against the hood himself, next to where she sat, trying to sneak a peek at what she was writing.

"Nothing." Jude closed the journal again. Jumpiness laced her voice. "I'm just…you think 'sooner or later' needs a change? I know we finished it today, but I'm not sure if it's done. What if it's a crappy song?"

Suddenly it dawned on him. She was nervous. Today they finished recording the song, which would become her new single. The song was due for release by the end of next week. "It's a great song," he assured, turning around and propping his upper body up on his arms as he leaned over the hood, tilting his head up to look at her. "It'll be hit, don't worry."

"I've heard that before," she murmured self-consciously. Playing with a torn edge of her journal, she looked at him, frightened. "What if my album fails again? Darius might be nice to me now, but then he'll fire me and I'm out of the biz for good."

"You're giving up that easily," he questioned in disbelief. "That's not the girl I know. See, the Jude Harrison I used to produce made music no matter what." His lips curved into a soft smile. "The record deal is just a tiny little part of it. Promise me something," he asked carefully, not knowing if he already had the right to demand promises for their friendship was on unsteady feet these days. Jude didn't say yes, but opened her big blue eyes just a little more openly to him. "Don't sell yourself for a number one hit."

The self-doubting lines on her face dissolved into a smiling expression. "Never."

"Good." Eyes caught, and Jude felt a heavy load of unwelcome emotions weighing her shoulders down. There it was again. The look in his eyes. It was a little more than friendship, and so much less than what she wanted it to be. No, she suddenly told herself. It was NOT what she wanted it to be! There wasn't anything, as a matter of fact, that she wanted there to be!

Sadie, who walked up to them with a clearly angered expression on her face, interrupted the moment. "Let's go. Right now!"

"What happened," Tommy asked, holding out a hand for Jude to help her off the car. The gesture came so naturally that Jude could only stare at the hand for a long second before ignoring it, and his confused look that he aimed at her for not taking it, before she jumped off the hood. "What got you to leave already? David isn't here yet!"

"He's not coming. Enter the car!"

Both Tommy and Jude did as told. Tommy started the car, and parked out while Jude kept staring at Sadie inquiringly. "What's going on? Where is David?"

"Jude," Sadie sighed, turning around with deeply sorry eyes. "I need to tell you something."

"That being," Jude impatiently asked.

"I saw something… I saw David…doing…"

"Sadie," Jude snapped, "Spill it already!"

"I saw him kissing Amanda," Sadie confessed.

"He what?!" Tommy's hiss came along a brief moment of losing control of the car. He was clearly angered, and Sadie was so caringly staring back at Jude that the younger Harrison could only laugh. Within seconds she had tears in her eyes, not out of hurt or betrayal but simply because this whole moment seemed absolutely absurd.

In front of the car was Tom Quincy, getting the vehicle back under control, along with his temper that she could see was still flaring in his suddenly midnight blue eyes. He was the one who had broken her heart most recently, and next to him sat her sister, the girl whom he had broken it with. And now here the couple was, at Jude's every demand. If she'd ask him to, Jude was fairly certain Tommy would knock David out. Repeatedly. And Sadie…she'd probably stay awake all night, with ice-cream and tissues in reach, to soothe Jude's splintered heart. Laughter was bursting from so deep in her that she had troubles remaining in her seat. Water leaked from her eyes while a mixture of giggles, pants, and plain amusement covered her face. "He's making out with Amanda? Seriously? Ha ha ha…" Hands went to hold her stomach, her midriff hurting under the lack of oxygen. "Poor David!"

"Poor David," Sadie repeated, struck by utter confusion.

"He's cheating on you, Jude," Tommy reminded her. A part of him was clearly mad, but not at the little punk, but at Jude. He had gotten hell from her for doing much less, or…well – he hadn't really cheated on Jude! David clearly cheated, and Jude laughed? How was that fair?!

Jude tried hard to calm down. "Oh right," she sputtered between laughter, "I'm supposed to be the victim here! Ow," she mocked by grabbing her chest where her wounded heart was throbbing, "ow, it hurts so much. I'm going to die now… Ha ha ha…"

The car came to a halt, and Jude found they had reached her home. Tommy turned around, facing her lost as he was. "You find that funny?"

"I told you David and I are not in love," Jude reminded him, "It's just…physical."

Sadie gaped. "What?"

"Everyone pitied me for days," Jude explained in irritation, not getting the problem. "With David at my side, they stopped doing so. He's a good kisser, and we have fun together. I'm just surprised he took his ex back! Were they just kissing, or going at it?"

Sadie's jaw fell open, and she had no idea how to close it again. "Um…I think Amanda kissed him, and he just responded. There wasn't really any groping." She stared at the girl in front of her. "Are you really my little sister?"

"Yep," Jude replied with rolling eyes. "And I'm going inside now. I've to call David and get some facts! Thanks for dropping me off, Quincy. See ya tomorrow, Sadie."

While Sadie was too busy trying to understand what Jude and David had and how she couldn't have noticed before, Tommy was shocked about something entirely different. Jude had just told them both goodbye, and not even flinched. She assumed he'd take Sadie with him and probably do what they had done before and what had started the whole mess, and she seemed completely okay with that. "What just happened?"

"No idea," Sadie admitted. "But that's not the Jude I know."

"No. Maybe you should stay at home…" he suggested, making it more of a strong advice. "She might change her mind and be heartbroken after all."

Sadie didn't believe for one moment that he meant those words. "You haven't been with me since that night. Don't you think it's time? I mean, even Jude thinks I'm staying over!"

"You should stay here," he dryly tipped off. There was no way he'd take her with him. Even if it weren't for Jude's feelings that he absolutely didn't trust, he also didn't trust himself. What if he'd start saying Jude's name, instead of Sadie's? "Good night," he said without going as far as kissing her. Sadie got out of the car, and Tommy found himself more than delighted that the evening was finally over. Though, the brief moment with Jude alone hadn't been too bad.

###

Jude sat in the back of Studio A, on the couch with bent knees. David was slouched down into the cushions next to her. "What have I done," he groaned. "God, why didn't you stop me?"

A grin widened on Jude's face, and she let herself fall backwards, sprawling out next to him. "Because I wasn't there to stop you. So you don't want her back?"

"No! I don't know what happened! One moment I see her kissing her new guy, then there's this fight over why I'm with you and suddenly she's raping my lips. I admit, I should have pulled away at some point during those…ten minutes of kissing," he mumbled full of shame, "but… Damn, now she thinks we're back together!"

"You're truly to be pitied," Jude agreed.

"Mock me, Harrison. I can handle that. But, if I break up with her tomorrow and she sees me with you, you'll be dead meat!"

"I can handle some cheerleader," Jude protested, not liking to be underestimated. "I'm a rock star! I eat cheerleaders for breakfast," she laughed. "What the kiss really that good? I mean if it lasted ten minutes…"

"Not as good as what you and I do," he smirked, shifting to his side and propping his head up on one arm. "Which, I may remind you, has been quite a few days…" Jude's grinning face turned into a challenging look. "You expect a kiss after you made out with another girl?"

"Yes," he smugly stated. "Cure my lips from her evil ones! Give me a taste of your plum sweet mouth…" He begged dramatically. She thought about laughing, but his eyes were more intent than Jude had ever seen, and she felt it hard to catch a deep enough breath to fill her lungs with air. She had no idea he could look at her like that while being mocking. One hand reached up and began to twirl a curl of her hair around his index finger, giving her a softer smile now. Jude felt the familiar thrive for some good making out returning to her. It had been so many days since she had gotten a good kiss! Where was the harm, anyway? Pressing her hungry mouth against David's, she allowed her body to be pulled into his arms. His hold was firm and warm and even a bit arousing as she felt the heat of their bodies mingling. His muscled, strong chest rubbed along hers when she adjusted to his position and she found herself on top of him, still engulfed in a feverous moment.

He now shifted to rest on the couch, his fingertips trailing up her thighs as his tongue no longer licked along hers, but along her silken neck. One hand ventured to familiar territory, boldly cupping one buttock. The other hand dared its way beneath her shirt. Jude was completely lost in the sensations, and she found herself astounded when the growing bulge in David's pants that had reached a proud size didn't scare her away, but made her thrust herself against it. A deep growl slipped from his throat. He sat up swiftly, pulling her legs around his waist to have better access to the V between her legs, wanting more of that glorious friction she was creating. Teeth sank into her neck, playfully biting down to trigger a soft but keen moan from her. "David…" she purred, gripping tightly down his arms while a new form of heat began to bewitch her. She didn't even notice how her skirt had hitched up, now being merely a belt of fabric that pooled around her waist. His hands roamed her bare legs, making her mewl his name once more. Her head lolled back, and her eyes opened very slowly and with delight when a fearless fingertip ran over the thin fabric of her plain black panties, just at the right spot, feeling how they had significantly dampened...

The gasp that followed wasn't one of joy though. Once her eyes were open, she caught Tommy's staring back at her in…was it disgust? "Oh shit," she began to ramble, jumping off the couch and straightening her clothes. Her producer had already stormed off, and Jude was left wondering if she was supposed to apologize. Had she done something wrong?

**Chapter eight**

Jude had not apologized. Ten minutes of confusion after he had caught her, he had shown up, calm and quiet, had resumed working, and had not mentioned it again. He hadn't even remarked at David's departure. The next day, he had looked a little less introverted and two days after that he even seemed to have smiled again. Not at her, though.

Three days had passed since then, and now she sat in front of the PC in the lobby of G-Major. It was Friday and eleven fifty-nine pm. Only one more minute and she'd know whether or not her new song was officially a flop or not. Most of the staff had gone home, not caring that for Jude midnight would define her future. Darius was still there, waiting for the very same chart to appear online. It was an industry-only website, and it summed up the numbers of each sold hard copy or download made within twenty-four hours.

Last night, at midnight, her song '_Sooner Or Later_' had officially appeared on every music download platform and since this morning it could be purchased on a shiny silver CD. Sadie was sitting in the studio, watching Tommy and Kwest use the time while they waited with her for some mixing. Jude wasn't so sure why her sister was there. Was is support, trying to be a better sister, or was it the longing for Tommy? Rather the latter, she concluded bitterly.

Catching a glimpse of the time, she set her forehead into wrinkles and placed her fingertip on the refresh-button. Was she ready to be hit by the harsh truth? No. The finger retreated. She sat silently, trying to figure out if Darius had checked by now and whether or not she could hear curses or prays. Only silence. The finger traveled towards the keyboard again. So what, she wondered. What if the song failed? It was only a day. Some of the biggest hits of the century had become a hit after being stuck at the chart's bottom for months! If she failed today, she could still be a hit by the end of the year! Unlikely, but it was possible!

So far the song had gotten good reviews, and the three times she had performed it live on radio this week had been good, too. That had to count for at least a bit, right? She wasn't a complete failure!

Suddenly, and before she could stop it, Tommy's hand appeared from behind her, his head hovering over her shoulder, and his index finger hit 'refresh'. Two seconds later he was gone, heading without a word towards the hallway in the back and while Jude was torn between his retreating figure and the screen in front of her, she suddenly heard a soundly 'Yes!' coming from D's office. Tentatively she took a closer look at the screen…

###

"Hey." Leaning over the metal banister, Jude couldn't help but recall unpleasant memories. "This moment seems familiar…"

"I'm not crying over Shay," Tommy quickly countered, a teasing grin edging its way up his face. "Nor am I crying at all! And the way I remember, you stood on my left side," he added with a less playful tone, "dripping wet from rain."

Jude's eyes drifted upwards, a clear full moon visible, and no single cloud. "No rain coming tonight."

"Nope."

"Are you mad at me? You haven't talked to me all week. Don't get me wrong, I'm not necessarily your best friend these days but we did settle into a comfortable 'get-along' mood."

"I'm not mad at you. Why should I be?" He asked so honestly, so sincerely, that the words that were anything but meant as an insult left a bitter stinging pain. Right, why should he be mad? It wasn't that she had cheated on him. They were hardly good friends! He was with Sadie, she was 'with' David, and technically, he had simply stumbled upon a scene he wasn't meant to witness.

"You're right," she admitted, her voice audibly smaller, maybe even shy. "Why would you?"

"Yeah…why would I?" he asked himself, entirely too afraid to delve into this question any deeper, scared of what answers he might find. But then again, it was still his studio!

Simultaneously the started…

"I'm number one."

"I am mad at you."

"Number one?" Tommy gave a genuinely happy smile.

Jude however, glared at him. "Why are you mad at me?"

Tommy groaned, suddenly wishing he'd have just stayed mute. "I'm having a feeling we'll be yelling at each other in a few moments, so let's get to the good stuff first." He smirked smugly, not caring for her agitated fire-spilling eyes. Arms reached out, and he swiftly moved to give her a short, firm hug, startling her so much she almost stumbled. "Congrats, girl. You earned it!"

Jude pushed away from him, not listening. "Why are you mad at me?!"

"You nearly slept with David in my studio, although he cheated on you!" Now his voice matched Jude's in attitude.

"What's bugging you more?" Jude reposted dryly. "Me, being in his arms, or us, ruining the couch you never sit on?"

He scoffed, leaning back over the banister, not in the mood to endure her stare any longer. It outdid him. It made him feel she knew his answers before he was giving them, maybe even knew more than he allowed himself to say. "Funny. Ha. Ha. Why did you do it, Jude? Why did you need to do that in my studio, knowing I could drop by any second? Did you want me to see?"

To his utter surprise, Jude's acrimony took a break and instead she mirrored his actions, looking up into the sky as he did, leaning against the metal. "Sucks, doesn't it?"

"What?"

"The questions. Wondering why I did what I did. Wondering if I did it on purpose. It's killing you, isn't it?"

He waited answering, not sure if he wanted to admit to either of them. "Killing me… That's a big term! But, what if it does?"

"Then," Jude told him with a sad smile, a sign of a long wanted satisfaction, "You finally know how I felt when I saw you with Sadie in my living room."

"So you did do it on purpose?"

"No. It just happened. Told ya, he's a good kisser."

"Rub it in, why don't you," he scoffed full of annoyance. "I'm having it up to here," he proclaimed with gritted teeth, holding his hand to the top of his forehead to add the gesture to his words, "hearing about David! He's kissing some cheerleader, and you end up letting him feel you up, while I – as just your producer and friend – get to endure your tears, accusations, and harsh words?"

Jude gaped at him, waves of hate and shock alternating inside her. "I'm not sure what you just said to me. Do you want to 'feel me up', too, or are you just whining about the fact that I merely pointed out some facts to you?"

He certainly did not want to feel her up! Maybe a chaste kiss… Oh hell, he inwardly chided himself, he was letting his words get spun around again, from no one else but Jude! Sixteen-year old bitchy and unreasonable Jude! "Be assured I do not want my hands on your body in any sort of way!"

"You're whining then," she concluded sharply. "How very mature of you. You screw up and can't handle losing your toys for that!"

"My what?"

"Toys?! You know, when you put children into time outs, and keep them from playing with their favorite toys because they did something bad?" She sighed heavily. "I watched The Kindergarten Cop last night! The point is I'm not your best friend any longer and you're whining about it."

"I'm not whining!"

"You just did exactly that!"

"I pointed out- What the hell am I doing?" he murmured in self-despise. "You asked me if I was mad about what I saw. Yes, I am. For the future: Stay out of my studio when you feel the need to be 'felt up' again!"

Jude's eyes went wide. "Excuse me? I do not have to ask for your permission when I want to make out with someone in the studio! But hey, if it bugs you so much, we can always take your car again! Or simply go to David's big penthouse. The one in the big tower! And when we're there, we'll look out of the window and laugh at you for you're stuck in the little tower!"

"Better stay away from that guy completely! He's bad news for you, Jude. He's already making out with other girls, and that though you two have this whole 'no strings attached'-thing going on! What does that tell you?"

"That I'm a good enough kisser for him to constantly find his way back to me!" She smugly folded her arms in front of her chest. "Unlike other people, he knows the difference between a talented woman, and someone who is dating the most sex-obsessed guy I know and hardly knows how to arouse him! I saw Sadie trying to sneak into the house last week, after the game. What – couldn't she get Little Tommy Q to rise?"

He wasn't sure what was happening, or where his Jude had gone, but this feisty slip of a girl was starting to piss him off! "Watch it, Jude. You're speaking of things you don't know anything about!"

She hated when he reduced her to a young, naive, little girl! It had her blood boiling each time. "You think?" Jude grinned slyly. "David and I were making out a minute at most, before I could feel his want for me hard and clear. When was the last time someone did that to you?"

You. Last night. In a very exquisite dream that frustratingly had yet again no satisfying finish! "That is absolutely non of your business," he countered with every bit of control he had left. Either he'd be yelling at her in a minute, or ravishing her against the fucking door, but if she kept arguing about sex with him, he would lose it!

"Evasive answer," Jude commented. "Guess I hit home."

"You didn't hit anywhere near it!" His eyes went small, and his jaw hardened. "You want to know why you had your little boyfriend all hard? Because he's a frickin teenager! It has nothing to do with actual talent. And getting someone hard doesn't equal being good. It takes a lot more than that. Not that you would know, considering you're an innocent little virgin!"

Not sure what overcame her, she suddenly stepped forward, roughly grabbed his crotch and gave it a deep squeeze. Shocked, he winced in pain – and apparently something else for Jude could clearly feel movement! Tommy stared at her, speechless. When she let go after what felt like the most defining moments in her life, she could without a doubt see the bulge forming in his pants. She didn't know how she managed to keep from blushing into the shades of a ripe tomato, or from squealing in victory, but she found the strength of staying cool and smug. "Hardening in less than ten seconds. Either you still are a teenager yourself, or I'm just not that bad! See ya tomorrow, Quincy…" With that she swayed away, leaving him behind, mute and probably startled out of his skin!

The moment she reached the studio, Sadie and Kwest gave her weird looks. "You look flustered," her sister stated, slightly worried. "Did you have another fight with Tommy? We were all getting along so well!"

"Don't worry. It wasn't a fight," she smirked, no longer able to hide a blush though. "Just a little demonstration of power. I made my point. Actually," she mumbled slyly, "I think I made a huge explanation point! Can we go? I'm getting tired."

"Sure. Congratulations, you're number one!"

"Thanks," Jude smiled, her mind still outside, with Tommy. Oh how badly would she want to be inside his brain right now, to find out just how much she had really shocked him!

###

"You're seriously not telling me what she did to you?" Kwest looked a lot like a pouting child. "Whenever she crosses your path, your face turns tomato red! Don't get me wrong, the color suits you," he chuckled, "but I know you for about a decade now and I've never seen you blushing like that. What the hell happened last week?"

It was Monday afternoon, Jude was currently with Portia, and Tommy had taken the moment to hide in his office, to enjoy some much needed solitude. Apparently, Kwest hadn't gotten the cue. "Nothing. We talked, we argued, I lost."

"You fought about what? The thing in the studio?"

"Among other things," Tommy vaguely admitted. "I'm not telling you!" It was already humiliating enough as it was, and the fact that Jude was so damn cool about the whole thing made it that much harder for him. If she'd be a nervous and ashamed wreck around him, he'd probably feel a lot better! But no, Jude was a bundle of confidence and he could have sworn when she had arrived two hours ago, she had made a gesture with her hand, subtly reminding him of last Friday.

"Why not," Kwest almost whined. "I'm your best friend. I should know those things! After all, it's most likely you'll be begging for my advice anyway."

"I don't beg!" At least not when he was awake. Last night though… Yeah, that was a whole other story. Jude was – as usually – naked and writhing beneath him. Again, he had found himself aroused to no end, his hands had taken in every single curve of her glorious body and of course, just when he had wanted to take things to the next level he found himself stuck – in his pants. He had called out to whomever it was that controlled his dreams, screaming and begging to let him just once take this dream to a good ending. No reply. Had he expected one? He began to wonder if maybe he was in need for some major psychotherapy.

While Kwest watched in annoyance how Tommy drifted away as he constantly did lately, lost in thoughts, it knocked on the office door, and Jude's head appeared through the crack. "I'm done with my fittings. Are you…" Jude stopped and entered the room fully. "Is he okay? Quincy looks…creepy."

"He's not creepy. He's lost in thought. Happens a lot lately."

"Must be some deep thoughts if he doesn't even notice us talking." His eyes were closed, and a suspicious grin grew on his face. Jude leaned closer to Kwest and whispered, "Is he having a dirty dream?"

Kwest rolled his eyes, and hoped his friend his friend wasn't. "I wish I could tell you." Taking Tommy's jacket that sat next to Kwest in another chair, he threw it at him. "Wake up, T!"

"Huh?" He opened his eyes, clearly startled. He had just wanted to close his eyes for a small moment, but all of sudden an image of Jude had appeared out of nowhere, leading him through the darkness towards a bedroom. Oh yeah, he needed therapy! Then he noticed that Jude was in the room, too. Jumping up and busying himself with his jacket, though not quite sure why suddenly it was in his lap, he wondered, "what'cha doing here?"

"Telling you I'm done with my fitting," she carefully spoke, not sure if he was able to comprehend. "I'm getting worried here, Quincy. You're my producer and if you decide to go mental or sick or whatever, warn me so I get replacement in time."

He laughed curtly. "I'm just fine."

"Okay," Jude nodded, clearly unconvinced. But, she remembered that she currently didn't like him and therefore didn't care. "Then we can start recording, can't we? Unless you want to get some fresh air? Maybe go to the stairway in the back? We could argue some more, and I could show you just how good I am at that…" Inwardly smirking full of pride at how easy it was to rattle him, she looked completely serious.

"Why should you two want to argue? Some more?" Kwest gave a suspicious frown. "I thought you simply made a point," he said, recalling Jude's comment from last Friday. He hated being left in the dark!

Jude grinned innocently. "I say I made a very big point. I think you could even say–"

"You done?" Tommy asked sharply, a clear warning in his glaring, dark eyes. "Or do you really want to argue? Be aware, the next time I'll make my own points!"

Forgetting about Kwest's presence, Jude stepped closer towards Tommy, trying to show off she didn't fear him, nor hesitated to defy him. "Is that a challenge?"

He wasn't so sure anymore about what they were talking, but had a distinctive feeling they were entering dangerous territory. "Jude, you should watch your words."

"Afraid," she baited.

And he snapped. "Never. But, just so you know, last Friday I wasn't prepared. That won't happen again! I admit I underestimated your guts, but I'm still miles ahead of you when it comes to leaving points!" Dark eyes met dark eyes. "Enjoy your little victory as long as you can. It won't last."

Unsure about what he meant, she scoffed smugly. "That's loser talk. Trust me, Quincy. If you and I were being outside, I'm damn sure I'd make another, very big point just like I did last Friday! Prepared or not, I told you I'm good!"

Oh just how badly did he want to find out if she was right! "We should really get back to work." No one moved though, and his expression was just as sharp and hard as hers. He knew she never backed out first, which occasionally had already led to unpleasant moments, like her almost-fight with Eden on stage of the Benefit-Concert last year. Only this time, the stakes were higher and while he wasn't even sure what they had said or suggested during the last two minutes, it had seemed dangerous and far from what they ought to be talking about.

"Fine," Jude reluctantly agreed, her face softening when she spun around. The proximity of her, as well as the swift and powerful spin had her blond curls hitting his face like a whip when her back faced him.

He closed his eyes, counted to ten and then took a long, deep breath. She was a sixteen-year old bundle of utter annoyance. Why could she bring him to the boiling point so easily? Usually, he was a master of keeping his emotion in check! With Jude, he was helpless and a victim to his own cockiness and arrogance.

"What just happened," Kwest asked, eyes following Jude out as she left.

Tommy, noticing grimly how his friend was staring at Jude's butt — though in that skirt and with those swaying hips, it was hard not to — only grumbled. "No idea."

###

David was sitting in the studio, waiting for Jude's day to be over. Both Kwest and Tommy had left to have a talk with Darius when Jude came out of the booth, and sat down next to him, her head falling tiredly on his shoulder. "I got Quincy hard."

He started laughing. "What?"

"I got him hard," she repeated, shy and remorseful. "We were fighting, and suddenly it was about the thing that happened between us, and he basically insulted us both, saying we were just horny teenagers and then he went even further and called me unable to excite someone. Something snapped in me, and…I stepped in front of him and grabbed his…things. I squeezed, I felt movement, and I won. Now he's all weird and twisty when he sees me. We were just getting along again."

"So he thinks you're not hot enough to arouse a man? That guy is nuts! You're more than hot, Harrison, and I think I proved that last week!"

She grinned bashfully. "I thought so." The last weeks with David had definitely boosted her confidence. "It's not even the fact that I did it that unnerves me. It's that he still gets me to get mad so easily."

"How about we get him mad," he suggested quickly, seeing Tommy and Kwest returning. David could clearly see that there was more than protectiveness in Tommy's eyes whenever he and Jude were together. "Pretend you're giving me head."

"What?!" Jude was startled into a state where wit and better judgment didn't exist anymore.

"Just do it, I'll explain later. They're coming in every second and so far haven't looked over. Just bend over me and let your hair fall over my lap. When they enter, we'll jump up and they won't notice you faked it."

Jude saw how close Tommy and Kwest were and just acted. While she pretended to bop her head, she dug her nails into his left knee. "If you get hard, I'll bite!"

He would have laughed, but for the purpose of this whole thing he let his head fall back, closed his eyes and moaned. Jude would have giggled but in that moment Tommy and Kwest entered and just as David had told, both jumped up, pretended shame and faced away. "I should go now," David muttered, playing like there was some 'urgent' matter he needed to take care off, and then hurried out.

Jude brushed her hair out of her face, had no problems blushing and then looked up in annoyance. "Knock next time!"

"I'm out," Kwest grinned, leaving the room right away. As much as he loved overhearing their arguments, this one seemed to become a big one and he feared he might get pulled into it. He rather watched from afar.

Tommy stared at Jude in shock for a moment, simply gaping at her and at the things she did he had never thought possible he'd ever caught her doing. "Knock? This is my studio!"

The blush on Jude's cheeks faded. By now she was a master in telling when a fight was brewing up and this one promised to become a good one! "Are we back to that?"

"What the fuck were you just doing?!" Tommy barked, still shocked. All those years that he had argued with her youth seemed worthless now for she was apparently anything but the innocent little girl he had tried so hard to see in her.

"Being good," she claimed, taking a firm stand in front of him.

"Jude," he hissed.

"Oh come on! Don't tell me you don't know what I was doing! I'm sure as hell it's nothing new to you!"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing!" She shot defensively. "I'm simply saying you're in no position to judge me!"

"I wasn't judging! I am shocked!"

"Why?"

"Because you don't do that!"

That confused her, and she asked promptly. "I don't do that, or people don't do it in general?"

"You don't do that! The girl I used to know does not give head in public, let alone in my studio!" His mind added that she did not give head in his studio to anyone but him, but even he knew that was one sick thought!

"What the hell is it with your possessiveness? I'm not being in your office, or your car, or even your apartment! This," she said, while pointing around the room, "is just a studio, not your studio. And even if it were, what's so damn important about that?" It was then that she wondered why she had even agreed to David's ridiculous idea in the first place. Here she was again, fighting pointlessly with Tommy while she could have been on her way home! For the love of Pop Tarts, why had she agreed to it?

"Why did you do it?"

Could he read minds? "What?"

He scoffed. "I'm not speaking it out again. Why did you do it here?"

Good question, she admitted. "It just happened. He's a horny teenager – remember? He doesn't even need me to get hard, if I understood you correctly last Friday. I simply offered my help."

"How very generous of you," he snarled full of disgust.

Jude began to get angry by the fact that he made such a big deal of it. Who was he to care? "Actually, I think I was! Jealous?" she found herself smugly asking.

"What?"

"Jealous?" Jude stepped closer towards him, not knowing why, but then again, she did a lot of things without knowing why, lately.

Tommy crossed his arms in front of him, not defensively but in a gesture of blocking her. He would never admit it, but there were moments when he was scared of the things she could do to him, or make him do to her. Eyes turned into thin slits, and he decided to be blunt. She had no problems doing so, why shouldn't he? "Why should I? If I wanted to cum in a mouth, I wouldn't need your generosity for that!"

Jude was taken aback by his clear words, but didn't dare to show it. Instead she stepped closer, her expression challenging. "Maybe you want my generosity."

His teeth gritted. "Careful, Jude."

"Why?" Her eyes darkened further, and he could tell she was under no circumstances backing away now. He had obviously struck a nerve and now wondered just how far she'd go. "I thought a lot about the things that happened between us last year. Maybe I really was foolish to believe you had feelings for me, but I think I can safely say you did like kissing me."

His hard lines broke for sudden belittling laughter. "One kiss, Jude. One kiss."

"One you initiated. And like I said, you went for my lips twice. Was it the red hair you found sexy? I've been told it's doing wicked things to men's heads. Or, maybe it was the way my dress was wet and clinging to me. Come to think of it, I was a lot more innocent last year and I've never spent a thought about it until now, but I must have been quite a catch for your eyes. I mean I was literally barely legal, and you had fire in you when you kissed me! Let alone in your lips!"

"It was pity," he lied.

"I think I was aroused in that moment."

Like this whole damn moment wasn't hard enough for him already! No, she just had to bring that comment, didn't she? Tommy growled on the inside, mutely staring at her.

"Did I render you speechless? Guess that means I win again. I didn't even have to use my hands for that," she quipped. "Unless you want me to," she offered, her voice more sultry than he knew was possible. Had it ever been sultry before?

"You should go, Jude." He didn't trust himself around her any longer.

"Nice way of admitting defeat," she boosted on her way out.

###

"Okay, tell me why I made myself the talk of the building?" Jude sat in David's car, looking confused and lost. "Even if Tommy and Kwest won't tell, I'm sure they all watched me and him arguing!"

"And doesn't that tell you something?"

Jude gave him a blank face. "Like… Discuss your matters in private?"

"He keeps on arguing with you. He's dating Sadie, and I know she's not opposed to giving the favor he thinks you gave me."

"EW," Jude shot, shuddering.

"The point is, he has a willing girlfriend but as you said isn't taking advantage of that. She's hardly catching his interest! You though make him constantly lose his temper!"

"Are you complementing me?"

"He's jealous! I told you before."

"He's not jealous! He's pissed off because I almost christened his studio! He's mad because I'm not worshipping him like I used to. He might be hurt in his pride that someone 'had' me while he has no chance on ever getting that far, but trust me – that's it!"

"He is jealous," David insistently proclaimed.

"He is Quincy. He doesn't like anyone touching something that he believes is his. Like I said, he probably just wants me because he knows he can't!"

"Last year he could."

"No, last year I thought he could. He never hid that he's a firm believer of not dating anyone younger than eighteen. Though, at some point twenty-one was more likely."

"Say what you want, but he IS jealous."

"He is NOT," Jude stated, "Let's change the subject. How's Amanda?"

"Still believing I date her," David murmured.

"Loser."

"Indeed. Why don't we finish what we started in the studio," he grinned. "It'll sure as hell lighten my mood!"

"Dream on!" Jude laughed.


	5. Chapter 9 and 10

**Chapter nine**

Jude sat upstairs of G-Major, surrounded by Portia and two other women, who were all busy to get her fitted into the clothes. She had agreed to make a short cameo in a horror movie, despite having a mortifying fear for those. Also she had promised to sing the theme song, and after recording most of it this morning, she was happy she could finally leave the studio behind for a little while.

It had been three days since the heated discussion with Tommy, and since then he was literally moping. He refused to look at her, avoided as precisely as possible to see her outside the studio walls and when she did cross his way, he simply turned away from her. It was getting ridiculous, and Jude wondered if she had acted the same way in the first days after the Sommy-Sex-Debacle, as Fiona had nicely titled it.

"Finally a moment alone," Portia said when she sat down next to Jude, making final adjustments to the sleeve of her outfit. "You've got to tell me – Did you really give…you know what…to David? In Tommy's studio nonetheless?"

"Why is everyone calling it Tommy's studio?" Jude was getting cranky over that fact. "It's a room he happens to use often, but it's not his studio!"

"Why does it matter?" Portia looked confused and Jude couldn't hold it against her. She wasn't sure herself why it mattered, it just did.

"Wait – how do you know?"

"The studio is made of glass walls! A moment before you got caught, Fiona walked by and saw the very obvious gestures you were making. I have to admit, I'd have never believed you'd do that. Not just in the studio, but in general. Guess I did think you were the naive, innocent little girl."

"And now I'm not any longer?" Not that Jude was an expert in sexual matters, but it was a common fact that blow-jobs weren't that shocking in today's society anymore. Ever since Sex and the City had premiered, it was even an open topic in everyday talks — not that she knew herself, but from overhearing Sadie and her friends. Pre-'Tommy and Sadie', that was. Now Jude could hardly find interest in overhearing those talks. She didn't need to know what they were doing when she wasn't there.

"I'm just saying you come off as the young, naive sort of girl that wishes of a perfect first time. Not at all like someone who'd give head in public!"

"It wasn't public, and it wasn't real," Jude confessed in annoyance. "David wanted to irk Tommy and so he suggested I'd fake it. He saw them coming towards the studio. David's fly was zipped, and my mouth was closed. But, if you tell Tommy…"

"Never," Portia grinned, now even more astounded. "You're not only a bad girl, you're also learning how to handle Tom Quincy. Can't say I'm not a little envious. I never managed to be that cool around him. I was head over heals in love with him, so I forgave him almost everything."

Jude took a long glance at Portia while she continued to stitch the sleeve. Out of nowhere she felt a tiny little bit proud of herself for being able to say 'no' to Tommy. She was head over– No, she _used to be_ head over heals in love with him, too and yet she'd have never allowed him to do whatever he wanted without paying the consequences. Maybe she wasn't the groupie everyone had seen in her. "Can I ask you something strange? You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

"Go ahead," Portia agreed.

"I don't really have anyone else to ask. Sadie is my sister, Kwest is Tommy's best friend and so would tell all, and David is my boyfriend and…well, I'm starting to believe he likes annoying Tommy, so I'm not sure he'd tell me the truth, anyway." Jude's eyes found a loose strand of material on her dress and focused on it as if it were the most interesting thing in the world. "Do you think Tommy finds me attractive? In the way that…he'd…pursue a sexual affair with me?"

"That's a weird question. I thought you were over him?"

"Oh I am. That's not why I ask. It's these things he keeps saying. We were having this fight and he made some strange remarks. It sounded suddenly all so sexual and then he warned me I should be careful with what I say. I know he's not feeling anything for me, but I'm starting to believe he wants me. If only because I'm having someone else now."

"Would you want him to want you?"

"Swear you will never say this to anyone," Jude demanded sternly, looking over her shoulder to see if they really were alone.

Portia looked sincere. "I promise."

"I don't know. I mean…I don't want to. Obviously I want to be with David. But, when he says these things it makes me feel strange. We're not even having real things to argue about, and I know it would be the smartest thing to just turn around and leave him alone, but I can't. I literally can't. It's like I have this need to object to him. And then those stupid things bubble up in me and…" Jude looked down again, feeling like an idiot for she was actually speaking out. "Have you noticed how a man's breathing changes? When it's getting quicker? I never did that before, and last night with Tommy I did."

"You are so far from over him," Portia commented with a grin, "that it's almost cute how you claim you are. I'm not judging. I've been there. I've felt the same. The breathing-thing is harmless. Wait until you notice how he smells differently after you two have been together and how that makes you want him all over again. It's natural. To answer your question, yes. Tommy would sleep with you. You'd be surprised just how much he wants to. You're out of bounds. But, and that's the sad part, I'm doubting he'd be with you. As a boyfriend. I'm not even saying he's not feeling anything for y-"

"He's not," Jude interrupted. She had been there. She knew he wasn't returning her feelings. The feelings she used to have.

"As I was saying, even if he were in love with you, he's scared of relationships. I think he's with Sadie because she can't harm him. She's pretty, entertaining and willing. But, she's never going to win his heart. And you are young. He has hurt you before, and he knows that."

"So he's probably just wanting me because he can't have me."

"Don't take this the wrong way, Jude. But, I do believe he could have you if he wanted to. I've seen the way you still look at him. I know his charms. I've fallen for him. I knew he was a player, and a cheater, and a reckless arrogant bastard at that time, but the moment he said he wanted me, I was his. That's the sucky part about being in love, whether you want or not. So my advice: Don't give in. It'll only leave you heartbroken."

"Thanks," Jude told with a sad smile. "Guess I just needed to hear that." Tommy's weird behavior had confused her for days now. She couldn't deny he was acting differently around her; he looked differently at her. Now Portia confirmed her own thoughts and she was right. Tommy had hurt her before, and there was a reason she wanted to get over him.

###

"Jude." Tommy came to an abrupt halt in front of the coffee shop, having not expected to see her here. "I thought you went home because you weren't feeling well."

"Yeah well – don't tell Darius that I lied," she sheepishly admitted. "I just needed to be away from…"

"Me?" He continued when he noticed how she didn't finish but blushed instead. "It's okay. I can handle it when someone doesn't want to be around me," he assured. He pretended to be sad, looking so heartbroken. Jude just had to laugh.

"It's not you. It's… Maybe it is you."

"Oh." He found himself stunned by the significant feeling of unhappiness that comment left behind. "Well, now I'm here and I was planning on going inside to have my own time away from G-Major and what else, so…how about I invite you for a coffee and you let me convince you I'm not that bad of a companion." To persuade her, he tugged his lips upwards in his most charming smile.

Jude couldn't help but remember Portia's words. He was really hard to resist if he wanted to. But, she wouldn't allow all this confusion and awkwardness to dominate their relationship any longer, and so she pushed the door open. "Shall we then?"

"We shall," he agreed, following her inside.

Once settled into a booth, Tommy's face turned a serious shade. "I'm sorry for last week. I had no right to…to judge or whatever it was I did. You're with him and of course that means…doing stuff…and…"

Jude started giggling, finding it insanely amusing how hard it was for him to even speak out what he thought she had done. "It's called a blow-job."

His head snapped up, a warning shimmer in his eyes. "Can we not talk about that here? Or at least, can we not speak it out here? You never know who else is listening. I don't want this to be tomorrow's cover story."

"I do think it would not be that big of a shock to find out what a girl and a boy are doing when they date," she teased. "See if I told the world that you, Canada's biggest playboy, are not having sex with your girlfriend, that'd be probably a bigger headline."

"What makes you so sure you'd be telling the truth," he wondered. Sure, it was the truth, but still.

"Would it be a lie?" She countered.

"I'm not answering," he declared.

"Coward. What are you afraid off?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"I don't. I'm just wondering why you're making such a big deal of hiding the truth."

"I'm not hiding anything. I'm not seeing the sense in baring my private life to you."

"Funny," she told him, "for you seem to be very interested in my private life recently."

"Are we back to fighting?"

"Who is fighting? I'm simply asking questions."

"Questions you've no right to ask."

"I didn't know I needed permission to ask."

"Not to ask in general," he corrected, "but if I asked you about your sex life, you'd be annoyed, too."

"What makes you think I have a sex life?"

"The fact that I saw you having one? Twice," He added almost bitterly.

"Why is important that you saw me and David in your studio?"

"What?" He groaned. "I thought we were past that!"

"No, we aren't. This is a good moment to ask, seeing as you can neither get too angry because that would make you show up on page one, but you also can't count to be saved by Kwest or anyone else. Just you and me, Quincy. Why is it so important that it is your studio?"

"It's not. It' just…it's just _a_ studio." He gave a smug expression, countering with her own words.

Jude rolled her eyes. "The Tommy I remember wasn't so scared about being bold. Or was three days ago the best you got in being bold? The whole 'I don't need your generosity to cum in a mouth'-thing?"

Had he really said that? Damn, how could he! Fine, she wanted bold? She was right. He did not back down in front of someone who was still in High School. She could have bold! "Because it's _my_ studio. I don't want _my_ girl doing things like that in a room where _I_ have to work in, because it is not something I can easily get out of my head!"

"_Your_ girl?" She purposely ignored what only a few months ago she'd have considered a sign of his hidden affection. Now she knew it was just his arrogant possessiveness. And aside that, he had a new girl now! "You gave up on that claim the moment you put your dick into my sister!"

He had a horrible daydream just then, picturing dozens of reporters sitting in that coffee shop, all busy transcribing Jude's and his words. If only one would have caught her last comment, they'd be making the evening news! "Speak quietly!"

"Geez," Jude shot in annoyance. "For God's sake Quincy, get over the page one-thing." Standing up, suddenly filled with fire, she called through the whole shop: "Tom Quincy is having an unfulfilled sexual relationship with Sadie Harrison!" When she sat down, she saw Tommy's eyes glaring at her with an intensity they had never done before. Jude couldn't care less. "Now that that's out of the way let's be really straight. You fucked her on _my_ couch, and you didn't care either!"

Tommy, who was busy sending rows of apologetic glances towards everyone who was staring at them, mumbled half-heartedly, "I apologized more than enough for that night!"

Jude however hardly shared that opinion. "You want me to apologize for what I did?" she twisted his words.

He hadn't asked for that, but now that she offered, he nodded, "It would be fair. You crossed a line like I did. You know that you and I have a-"

"Stop right there," she warned fiercely, eyes unbreakably hard. "I have not crossed any line! I did something you weren't supposed to see, I admit to that. I should have done it in a more private place, I admit that too. But, I did not cross a line that is in any way related to what you and I have as a relationship. Past, or not! You're dating my sister if I may remind you, and as long as she isn't involved in mine and David's actions, you better stay out of it!"

"Is it that easy for you?"

Jude was beginning to shake in anger. What was happening? She was done with all that. All those irritating emotions, all the hurt of her broken heart, all the feelings he didn't return. She had finished with that. He had made her finish with that, and suddenly he had nothing better to do than make her feel shamefaced for having been with someone else? "Are you kidding me?"

"Why?" He was neither furious, nor annoyed but fully direct and sincere. "You know what I'm talking about. You and I have a past and that's not making you the slightest bit feel bad for having done what you did in my studio?"

Jude took the Styrofoam container, stood up and while for a split second he feared she'd pour it over his head, she simply walked out on him.

###

"Asshole," she muttered angrily, kicking pebbles and whatever else was plastering on the pavement on her way to – where was she even going? Jude looked up, sunglasses on to hide the fury in her eyes from everyone else who passed her, and searched for a street sign. Willowy-Avenue. Great, she thought. Two miles away from G-Major and seven away from home. She made a mental note to walk around one and the same block the next time she was pissed off, instead of walking straight ahead into the unknown.

Just when she was about to call a cab, deliberately refusing to even consider walking home, for she had sure as hell walked enough today, a flashy car appeared next to her. "Jude," the driver called and she realized it was Tommy.

"Go away, Quincy!"

"No. It's getting late and you're nowhere near home. Let me drive you."

"Did you follow me?"

"As a matter of fact I was on my way home, but then I saw this raging blonde kicking things in front of her and I feared if I don't have pity for you, you'll end up hurting someone else's car or something. Get in," he said, ordering.

That tone was just what Jude needed. "You don't get to tell me what or what not I do! And it's not late; it's barely six pm! I've stopped kicking things, you can leave now." Her eyes finally caught the car and she rolled her orbs so hard even Tommy noticed it though being meters away.

"Another new car?"

"It's an Aston Martin. Got it this morning. It's James Bond's car. I'm thinking about buying it."

"Whoo," Jude mocked. "Can it do any tricks, like vanishing? Preferably with its driver," she added sarcastically. "Though if it just swallowed you, I'd be happy already."

"Just get in, Jude." He heard cars behind him starting to honk, and it stretched his nerves thin. Jude grinned at him and waved, walking away.

He finally drove off, and just when Jude's mood began to rise she saw him coming around the corner. By foot this time. Her mood hit rock bottom. "What on earth do you not understand when I tell you to leave?"

"I understood you just well," he assured with that cocky smirk that she wanted to kick off his face just then, "I chose to ignore your plea. Though I don't usually do that with women."

"This is not the right moment to be smug. I'm angry with you, Tommy. And if you keep standing there, I'm going to kick the pebble in front of me so hart it'll leave a hole in your nuts when it hits you!"

He sighed deeply, stepped aside, which made Jude smirk, and then he smiled too. But not in his usually arrogant way. This one was full of…well, it was just a different smile. One could almost call it alluring. Convincing, even. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said it. I know I can't compare what you did to what I did. And I shouldn't have brought our past up."

She figured he was trying to handle her again. There was no way he suddenly believed what he was saying. Roughly pulling her sunglasses off, she shot arrows at him with her eyes. "We don't have a past, Tommy! There's me, having acted like a lovesick puppy around you, and there's you having enjoyed, but not cared for it. That's all there is. The rest is just friendship! Now that we've clarified it – leave!"

"No. Fine, you don't want to talk about it, let's talk about something else." He followed her when she started walking again, completely aware he was infuriating her. "How did it feel to have his cock in your mouth?"

Jude stopped instantly, looking so harshly at him that he wondered for a moment if he could actually see the steam she sure had inside coming out of her ears. He'd probably have to drown a full bottle of Whiskey later to forget the fact he had said those words, to Jude no less, but he finally had her attention. "What, Harrison? Come on – seems you and I talk a lot about sex lately so why not be honest about it all? How did it feel?"

He wanted to laugh at her reaction. She was heaving in utter rage, eyes dark, breathing barely controlled and fists hard next to her, her knuckles already white. "You're walking on fire, Tommy," she seethed, as if to warn him. "Last chance to take back what you just said!"

"Why should I?" he irked further, figuring she'd cave any second and back out. "I'm interested. You don't want to talk about your feelings, I get that. Let's talk about what really matters. How was it?"

"You wanted it," she reminded, not at all willing to admit defeat, and so she got into his face while her nails drew blood in her palms. "His cock was huge and pink and delicious! He loves when I rake my teeth along his flesh, or give his sac a squeeze. He also loves when I ride him hard and fast. I already have sore nipples because he tends to lose himself in the pleasure I give him, and then bites! Not that I mind if he gets a little rough. But, I doubt you know what I mean, given the poor missionary you delivered when I caught you in my sister!" Her cheeks were flushed, not by embarrassment, but by sheer agitation, and her respiration was ragged as if she'd have just run a marathon.

Tommy's eyes were flaring, as if liquid anger was boiling in them, the lines in his face hard. As something else was getting, but he had no control about that! He couldn't believe she had said that. Yes, he had baited her but had he expected that little rant? Hell no! How did she even know all those things? Wasn't she supposed to be a virgin? Feeling his own control running out, he experienced unknown levels of acrimony and want. The latter he tried to black out. There was no way he'd let her win this. "That good, huh?" He leaned closer to her.

"Better," she snarled through gritted teeth.

He could smell the coffee in her breath, and the sugar from the gummy bears he had seen her eating earlier. He could feel the heat coming from her, the warm day was only worsening it. There were little sparks exploding in her eyes, shining, her skin was glowing – in anger, he was sure. Suddenly, something in him snapped and his arms pulled her hard against his chest, feeling the curves of her front molding along his own chest while he slammed his lips on hers. She didn't fight him, but for a moment just stood stiff. His tongue thrust past her lips and all of sudden he found her responding. Slender arms wrapped tightly around his neck, lips hungrily moving in sync with his.

He couldn't stop. He wanted to. He knew it was wrong, it was probably the last nail in their friendship's coffin, but for the life of him he couldn't stop drinking in her mouth. His tongue licked everywhere. The roof of her mouth, the underside of her tongue, her teeth, maybe even her tonsils. He was on fire and had it not been for the fact that they were in the middle of the street – a fact he only dimly recalled– he'd have long let his hands roam other parts of her. He was hard as a rock, and he knew she must feel it. It fueled his passion even more that she wasn't pulling away, but mirroring his almost frightening desire with equal force, pushing herself closer into his arms with every passing second.

Her lower belly rubbed along the impressive bulge in his pants, and she moaned into his mouth when his arms fastened around her, holding her impossibly close. Her mouth was feasting on his. She couldn't pull away. She wanted to, more than anything. She felt her heart breaking more with every beat it took, but she couldn't pull away. Sucking his tongue further into her mouth, she felt a throaty sound coming from him. He tasted of coffee and red licorice, and she couldn't imagine there was anything in the world that tasted better. Nothing tasted better than Tom Quincy's kiss. One hand gripped along his shoulder blade, holding herself in his arms, while the other one took a bold grope at his buttocks. The weeks with David really had helped her loosen up! Apparently, her move had him assured she was enjoying this, and seconds later she sighed blissfully when he hauled her even further into his embrace, feeling a sensational heat pooling low in her belly and between her legs by the way his arousal poked against her.

They wouldn't have stopped hadn't it been for the cabriolet driver who had honked and whistled. Parting out of breath and with flushed faces, Tommy was startled into muteness at Jude's words.

Adjusting her clothes, and looking sadder than she wanted to, she gave him a small smile. "Thank you."

"What for," he eventually asked, keeping from being playful and returning something lame like 'my pleasure'.

"This." She put her sunglasses on and stepped away from him. "I needed this. To let go."

Letting go wasn't necessarily the first thing coming to his mind when he thought about what just had happened. "I don't understand," he openly admitted.

"You want me." She sighed and looked down to her feet, forcing herself to smile when she looked up again. "At least I finally know why we kissed. Or why you look at me in a way you shouldn't. We can't happen, Tommy. You want me because we can't happen. It's never been anything else. Unless we end up in the tabloids," she spoke, guilt paling her face visibly, "I won't say anything to Sadie. I've got to go. See you tomorrow."

He could only watch how she walked away, leaving him more lost than he had ever felt before.

###

After the mind-blowing kiss with Jude, Tommy found himself on the verge of desperation. Not only had this kiss left him with a sense of want and longing that were completely unknown to him, but also had he realized that no matter what would happen between him and Jude in the following days, he could not stay Sadie's boyfriend one more moment.

It hadn't been easy to tell her and there had been a lot of begging from her side to give her another chance, but after about ten minutes of her pleas, he had had enough and doubtlessly declared that there was nothing she could do to make him change his mind because this wasn't about her, but about him. She had been silent afterwards, and without further words or gestures left his apartment.

That was an hour ago, and now he found himself drunk in his living room, the taste of Jude's mouth still lingering on his tongue, and he wasn't sure if he even wanted it to go away. The electric shocks her touch had caused would keep him up all night, of that he was certain. "Want a beer," he asked with no sign of actual care when Kwest sat down next to him.

"No." Kwest knew about the kiss. Tommy had already confessed. "So the thing with Sadie…"

"Is done. She and I are done. Are you sure you don't want a beer? It really makes things easier!" It surely helped forgetting things, though tonight that effect had yet to kick in.

"No," Kwest repeated, rolling his eyes. "Maybe you should sober up, yourself."

"Why? My life is over."

Now Kwest wanted a beer. But not to drink! He wanted to stuff the bottle down Tommy's throat. "Oh please! Stop being so melodramatic! So what, you kissed her. It's not like it never happened before. And from what you've told me, she was anything but angry. That's a good thing."

"She thinks I only want her for sex. And that only because I'm not allowed to! Although that's not really true. I am allowed to. If she would let me! Which I'm pretty sure she would have, this afternoon." He sighed heavily. "The way her body felt in my arms… She was so warm, and she smelled so good. Have I mentioned how good that new shampoo of hers is? She's having it for a few weeks now, but I can't get enough of smelling it. It's some flower. Jasmine, I think. I used to sleep with a Jasmine. Not the flower. She didn't smell as good as Jude. Jasmine the girl, I mean."

"You are so drunk," Kwest sing-song'ed, a part of him enjoying Tom's willingness to tell, which he was now doing. "What happened again the other day? You know, when you and Jude were outside in the back…"

"She gave me a squeeze."

"That's synonym for…"

"Grabbing my balls," he snipped. "Hands on, groping hard. She made a point."

"So she said," Kwest recalled.

"Got me hard."

"Oh boy."

"Less than ten seconds to get me moving upwards, or so. That's what she said. She really did make a point." A lazy hand darted out, trying to reach the beer, but when he realized he'd never manage those last seven inches towards the can without actually moving his whole upper body, he gave up. "Can you hand me my beer?"

"No."

"You're a bad friend."

"And you're annoying when you're drunk. So she got into your head, and your libido. Does that mean you're going after her now?"

"She thinks I don't really care for her," he mumbled again, more and more whiny.

"Not what I asked." He couldn't warm up to the idea of his friend dating Jude, for he was convinced it would end badly, but on the other hand he had never seen Tommy like this before, and that had him wondering if he might not have fallen in love, after all.

"I want her. In bed. I want to sleep with her. I want her in my arms, and I want her to say my name when I'm inside her. I know I'm a bad person for wanting that, but I can't help it."

"Imagine you had her, what would you do the next day?"

"Her," Tommy grinned tiredly, "again and again. She's so pretty. No, she beautiful. And her ass… It felt it so nice in my hands," he half-slurred. "Two globes made to fit into my hands. I wonder if she's exercising? Sports, I mean. Not sex. I'd gladly offer myself for that!"

"You can't have her as your sex-kitten. She has had a tough time getting over you, and she's finally managing it. Aside the kiss that is. If you go after her, you have to be sure you want her for more than just some fun in the sheets."

"I know," he agreed, barely able to hold his eyes open any longer. It had been a long day. "She smells so good…"

"She's also smart and very easy to scare away," Kwest added but stayed quiet afterwards, seeing how Tommy had fallen asleep.

###

Darkness surrounded Tommy once again. The rain was falling in having drops from the sky. He assumed there was a sky somewhere above all that darkness. He realized he wasn't searching his way towards Jude this time, and then he found himself surprised there was a 'this time' and that this wasn't the first time he had that looked like this.

"You're not looking for me," a soft female voice came out of nowhere, soothing and yet unsettling. His eyes darted upwards, taking in the empty darkness that enfolded him. He felt lost. "Where are you?" He asked in return.

"I'm right here," she said, and just like that he found himself sitting on a bed, her next to him. She was naked, but didn't seem to mind. Golden hair fell ever so softly over her bare shoulders, and he brushed it away as gently as he could.

"Sleep with me," she whispered.

He looked at the girl again, this time able to define her as Jude, despite having known it was her all along. She pulled on his shoulders and made him fall backwards, but before he could give in to the alluring request as he had understood it, she was curled up against his side, breathing almost too softly for him to hear. He shifted, propping his head up on one arm, brushing her curls off her face and shoulder once more, watching her snore lightly.

"I love you, Jude."

Tommy's eyes shot open, and he sat upright in less than half a second. He was in his living room; he realized after a long, panic-filled moment. Eyes adjusted to the bright light, though the room was barely illuminated by the intruding moonlight. Holy fucking shit, he thought, recalling the last words of his before he had woken up. Had he ever used them before? Okay, yes – he had. Had he ever really meant them was the more important question!

It wasn't possible. It was just a dream. He had fallen for this sex-willing, purring vixen that infiltrated his dreams every night for weeks now! He was not in love with Jude. Not with the real Jude. The real Jude was probably going to hate him now, which he was more than to blame for.

How stupid had he been to kiss her. Let alone, kiss her like that. It was almost dry-sex. Without the actual body-parts, but certainly with enough passion! This had to end. He needed to get a grip on his life. The good thing was he was already single, now all he had to do was get Jude's friendship back, and while he was at it, he might as well get rid of that little punk she shockingly still hadn't shot to the moon yet! It was better for her if David left her alone. She didn't need to be distracted by that idiot.

He was cheating on her, 'real' boyfriend or not! Yeah. That was the plan. Jude had to become single, too. No, wait – damn! Jude had to stay his friend! That was the plan. He needed water and a shower, and some more sleep. Yet, given his last dream, maybe a few Espressos were better. It was probably a smart idea to stay awake for a while. At least, until he trusted his dreams again! Hell, if he didn't watch out he'd end up proposing to dream-Jude. And that was the last thing his poor mind needed! He was confused enough as it was.

**Chapter ten**

Tommy sat in his chair in the studio, one foot propped up on his knee, his position comfortably, slouched into the chair, a newspaper in his hands, held up in front of his face as he read it. Or, as he pretended to. Two nosy eyes peeked over the upper end of the paper, small and intrigued. Damn, he mentally cursed, he should have taken a position in the lobby, instead of inside the studio. Sure, this place was more reasonable for him to be found, but idiotically it had walls, and also a door that automatically fell shut. How was he supposed to hear what Jude and David were talking about outside the studio, when he couldn't listen? In retrospect, he should have given lip-reading a try when he had the chance. There used to be a girl he knew – Sharon, or Sarah, or so – and she had told him she was a very good lip-reader. His reply back then had been a smug comment about teaching her some other things to be good in, where she could use her own lips instead. He should have taken a lesson from her instead! He wondered what she was doing these days, and if he could hire her…

"If you keep reading this thing," Kwest uttered up from behind him, being busy doing his actual job of mixing, "I'm starting to believe you've gone crazy. Have you ever read a newspaper before?"

The brief moment of feeling insulted left Tommy's mind rather quickly. Instead, he threw a grim look over his shoulder. "I do read newspapers. Despite the fact that the news channel has one fine weather girl." His gaze returned to Jude and David who still chatted in the lobby. "You think he has seen my new car?"

"Who?" Kwest asked with little to non-existent interest.

"David. You think he has seen the new Aston?" When Tommy had stopped by the car dealer and asked for a unique car, William, his handler, had delightedly informed him that the Aston Martin DB9 from the new James Bond movie had recently entered the market and was extremely wanted. "I'm not the sure if I keep the car though. I'm only testing it out. Maybe I decide for something bigger. More…unique."

"Would it help you to know what David considers a unique car?"

Tommy's head once more turned to Kwest, and the latter was baffled to see interest, instead of the expected annoyance and anger. "You wouldn't know what that is, would you?"

Kwest merely rolled his eyes. "I can't believe you're spending a fortune to outdo some teenager who never even worked for his money. That guy has as much money as you do. Don't you think it's ridiculous to buy a car he could easily afford himself, only to make Jude notice?"

"Jude," he professed in sincerity, "has _nothing_ to do with that!"

"If it's not Jude, then you must be trying to impress a teenage boy. That, added to the fact that you used to be a part of a _boy-band_, worries me!"

Jokes about him being gay weren't new. It was something that came with the whole 'boy-band' thing. Not that he had anything against gays — but personally he preferred lady parts. "Would you ask him?"

"Whom?"

"David," Tommy added, wanting to add a 'Duh!'. Wasn't it obvious? Who else were they talking about! "Ask him what car he wants, but can't get his hands on."

"Why?"

"Think, Kwest! So I can buy it for myself."

"Which you would clearly succeed in," the engineer mocked, "because you're such an influential person! I forgot that you regularly dine with the mighty leaders of our world!"

"I do have people who'd do a lot for me," He declared, sternly. There were a lot of people who still believed him to be one of the greatest men to ever walk the earth. Fame lasted long, especially if fans were female. "I know this Italian girl who's a descendant to Enzo Ferrari. If I wanted to drive the _Enzo_, I could." Pride laced the snippy remark thickly.

"Yeah. And I'm sure the guy who already owns two Ferraris dreams of nothing else than having a third one."

Tommy chuckled, partially to drown out his annoyance, not allowing Kwest to rile him up that day. "You're in a bad mood."

"I'm just fine," Kwest assured a little too firmly. "Don't worry about me."

"I wasn't." He quickly folded the newspaper. "Here she comes!"

"Who-ho!" Kwest sarcastically exclaimed.

Ignoring the sarcasm, Tommy sat up more straightly. When the door opened, he smiled most charmingly. "Good morning, girl. You look beautiful today."

Jude, whose hand was in David's, stopped abruptly in irritation, making David stumble into her. She didn't care. "What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing," he protested, still smiling. "I'm just being nice."

"Okay. If you're afraid I'm mad at you because of the kiss, relax! I'm not. It was a kiss and nothing more. It has happened before, and it was nothing earth-shattering."

Kwest started snickering, and Tommy's light and happy eyes flashed with something he refused to call 'hurt'. It was just the stab into his ego that had him losing his good mood, Tommy told himself. Nothing better than a good flaming arrow to scratch his confidence, and that in the early morning! "So you told David about the kiss?" Tommy looked towards the guy whose arms were inappropriately close around Jude's waist. He had always hated PDA. "Sorry man." Not that he meant it.

"I'm sure you are," David agreed, also not meaning one word. "But don't worry. My _girl_ is still with me, so the kiss can't have been very good. Probably just a small smooch – your girlfriend wouldn't let you score so you used mine to get some action. I don't hold grudges against desperate men."

Kwest's snickering turned into full-fledged laughter. Jude's grin widened too. She left David to bicker with Tommy and settled in the booth. If they continued like this, she'd end up having to choose sides and that would not end well, no matter whom she'd pick.

Tommy meanwhile stood up, trying to show that he was the big man in these walls. "I'm not desperate. And my ex-girlfriend would have loved to let me into her bed! I don't know what Jude told you to keep you from getting angry, but it wasn't just a small smooch. It was a lot of tongue and hands and groping and passion…"

"And yet she came back to me," David finished for Tommy with a smug expression. "The guy she's been obsessing over for more than a year finally wanted to have her, even if just for one kiss or whatever it was, and where did she spend the night? With me! That must really annoy you." A prospect David liked.

"Not the least bit," Tommy stated, acrimony rising fast. His eyes grew small as he stepped closer towards the 'little punk', trying to intimidate him. "She's been with you for what – over a month? Shouldn't you worry that she's looking for action elsewhere? Obviously you're not satisfying her. Jude is someone who needs a passionate guy – someone who knows how to take care of her, if you catch my drift. You're just a little boy who keeps spending daddy's money and if I _wanted_ to have Jude, she'd be kissing my feet right now!"

"Actually, I'm an inch taller than you." David sat down in the couch in the back. "And whether I earned the money or not, I'm richer than you. Jude told me about your penthouse in the little tower. Must suck having to waste your time looking up to me… And now," he advised full of arrogance, "you should probably resume work. I wouldn't want you to end up getting fired because you tried to put a_ little rich boy_ into place!" To make sure he had the last word, David took out his iPod and placed the plugs into his ears, shutting him out.

Tommy, whose gritting teeth Kwest could hear despite wearing headphones, sat down in his chair, put on his own headphones and wished for this day to be over already. He had a fucking car to return, and maybe get his legs lengthened.

###

Lips retreated reluctantly from the soft cheek in front of him. David's face was hidden in the dim light of his car, but Jude could tell he was smiling. He leaned back, and took her hand. "I need to ask you something and if you don't like it, just be honest. Go out with me?"

"Tomorrow? We just went to a movie…" She liked spending time with him, but every night?

"A real date."

"Oh. _Oh_…" Jude wasn't sure how she should react to that. The thought of actually dating him had never occurred to her. When that thing between them had started, she had still been hung up on Tommy, and now? Things were different, sure, but did she really want to risk what good, lighthearted relationship they had for a possible heartbreak?

"Obviously," David quickly back-paddled, "You're not a fan of that idea. It's okay. I just thought you and I get along well, and that maybe it'd be worth a try…"

"What about Amanda?" Jude stalled.

"Spoke with her this morning. Over."

Jude bit her lower lip, considering his words. Maybe she should just jump into the cold water and see how things would work out… "One date can't hurt, can it?"

David's hopeful expression broke into a smiling face. "No, it can't."

"Tomorrow night, then?"

"Eight? I'll pick you up."

"Okay."

###

Jude sat in the studio the next day, checking the time for the umpteenth time and it still wasn't nearing the evening. Two more hours and then she could finally go home and change, because in three, David would come and pick her up. After having spent the last night thinking about him and wondering if maybe she felt more for him than just friendship, she found she couldn't completely deny the question. And now, she looked forward to let him spark something in her.

Kwest, who sat next to her, also checked the time again. "It's five am. Tommy was supposed to show up an hour ago. Where is he?"

"No idea," Jude told in mild interest. "You think I can go early?"

"No. D wants the last touches done on 'Are you happy now'. If T's not showing up, I'll have to work overtime and I refuse to let you have fun when I can't," he cracked.

Jude turned around, facing him with a grin. "Playing boss now, huh?"

"Gotta use the opportunity! Up, get in the booth," he commanded with a smirk.

Jude laughed at the unfamiliar request coming from him, but nonetheless did as told. A second later she slapped Kwest's shoulder, startling him. "Look! Look!" She pointed towards the lobby, on the verge of a shock. "He's wearing girl shoes!"

Kwest, confused, looked towards the lobby and started laughing. Tom Quincy was standing there, wearing his usual attire of shirt, jeans and leather jacket, but this time the outfit was completed by hideous cowboy boots that had at least two-inch heels, if not more for his long jeans were covering most of it.

"He's gone nuts," Jude dryly remarked.

"Completely," Kwest agreed. "Wonder what car he came with. He got rid of James Bond's car again after realizing it wasn't as special as he thought. I'm a little afraid he came by a helicopter!"

"Why is he so eager to show off?" Jude wondered with a frown. "It's not as if anyone here doesn't know he's rich!"

Kwest wondered if he should tell Jude about Tommy's discussion with David and how David had remarked about being taller than Tommy. Kwest was pretty sure that was the reason Tommy was wearing those ridiculous shoes. Though, and he was just as sure about that, when being asked, Tommy would surely blame those shoes on some hot saleswoman who had made him buy these because the were the _latest trend_. He decided to let Jude find out on her own why Tommy was behaving like a rutting moose. "No idea…"

Jude sat back down in her chair, more accurately Tommy's chair, recording now forgotten. Tommy entered, looking as cocky and confident as ever. As if he had no idea the whole lobby was staring at him, or that Jude was two seconds away from bursting in laughter. "Nice shoes," she giggled.

"Thanks. Gucci. Newest in the stores."

"Go figure," she muttered, biting her tongue from telling him they would look good to Sadie's new blue skirt. "A little high on the heels…"

"I was told that's the new _chic_." Tommy stayed cool and said it with more sincerity than Jude had believed was possible. Two seconds later she was cracking up, curling in the chair she sat in.

"What's so funny?" he wondered, setting his forehead into wrinkles.

"Nothing," Jude lied, trying her hardest to compose herself. "Listen, can we start recording? David asked me out for a real date, and I'd like to leave in time."

"A what?" Tommy asked, suddenly considering letting Jude work overtime. Hadn't Darius mentioned something about an urgent thing, something that made it necessary to finish her song tonight? Maybe they could finish the whole album while they were at it!

Jude rolled her eyes with a heavy sigh. "Save it. I don't want to hear your opinion. David asked me out. He wants to turn our thing into something serious, and I agreed."

"Interesting. But, guess what? My opinion comes from free and I hardly care whether or not you want to hear it. It's senseless trying to date him for real. You're not going to fall for him if you haven't done so already. Either there are sparks or there aren't. If you haven't fallen for him by now, you never will."

"Given the fact that there's this immense sexual attraction between us, I think we're just fine."

"Date me."

The room fell into silence.

Jude wasn't sure if she really was awake. She could have sworn she had just heard him asking her out. Looking over her shoulder, she asked Kwest, "Did he just really ask me that?"

Kwest seemed equally shocked, eyes glued suspiciously on Tommy. "I think so."

Jude looked back to Tommy, seeing him smiling winningly, as if asking her out was the most normal thing in the world, with no doubt of her agreeing to it. "I said," he grinned, "Go out with me. A real date. You and me." He set on his best smile, polished and sparkling, showing off white teeth as if to blind her by his attractiveness. That trick had stopped working – had it ever worked?

Jude groaned, seeing he wanted an answer. "How desperate are you?" she asked rhetorically. "What did David do to you that you're so eager to keep me from dating him?"

"That wasn't why I asked," Tommy pointed out, not so happy about the way this had turned out, let alone that he sounded so churlish in his reply. He was surprised that she wasn't the least bit happy about his offer. Hadn't she always wanted that? Date him? Sure, he had made the offer under less than ideal circumstances, but now that he thought about it, the idea of spending a romantic evening with Jude did sound tempting, especially if they repeated what kiss they had shared a few days ago!

"You can't be serious," she angrily shot. "Just because you're a bored single now, doesn't mean you can ask me out! Let's ignore the fact that I doubt the sincerity of your offer, or the minor obstacle of you being my sister's recent ex. Let's even ignore the fact that you broke my heart twice already! But, to argue in your way, it's not at all making sense to ask me out! You won't fall for me now, if you haven't fallen for me in the very beginning. I think it is more than clear that you did not fall for me in the very beginning, and that means you won't fall for me now. Ergo a date between you and me is stupid and a waste of time! Now, can we please start recording? I'm not going to call off my night with David just because you don't like him!" She ended her rant, taking a deep breath to fill her empty lungs with air again. Then she remembered something. "Did you really tell him you'd get me to kiss your feet?"

He was half a second away from reposting when her words hit him. His mouth closed, and his face – Jude was sure – paled a notch.

"Guess that's the reason you asked me out, then. Good to know you're not playing with my heart again!" Jude marched off into the booth, and Tommy fell down into his chair, mute and annoyed. "Don't say a word," he warned Kwest who's lips itched to mock him. Kicking off the hideous and uncomfortable shoes he was wearing, he hit the intercom button. The poor button had to suffer under Tommy's temper a lot lately. "Start on three."

"Seriously," Kwest chuckled, not afraid of Tommy's glare. "Nice shoes!"

Tommy growled and covered his face with his hands, admitting defeat. "Made me an inch and a half taller. Kwest, I'm going crazy!"

"Did you mean it when you asked her out?" he wondered. More. he needed to know. If this was all about showing David off, Kwest would seriously reconsider his friendship with Tommy. Jude's heart was too fragile to be used as a match-ball.

"Not when I asked. Or, maybe. I just… Come to think of it, I'd love to spend the evening with her. She's my girl. I don't even know how else to describe it. She's funny, beautiful, and-"

"At least two years too young," Kwest firmly reminded Tommy, realizing where this was going.

"She's legal."

###

"He said she's legal! That's his way of admitting he's done caring about the consequences should he go after her. What if he really goes after her? Portia," Kwest sighed, "you know how he gets when someone challenges him. He can't say 'no'. Remember the time Chaz told him blowfish would kill him, if prepared wrong? The sleezy grin he had on while telling made Tom eat two fish! Two very dangerous,_ very life-threatening_ fish! This isn't about food; it's about a girl he's been fantasizing about for over a year! I'm afraid Jude's getting hurt along the way!"

"What makes you think she'll allow him to hurt her?" Portia made sure Jude was nowhere in sight when she leaned towards Kwest. "She's falling for David. She's all over him every time I see them!"

"That's the worst part," Kwest proclaimed, looking worried. "He's on the verge of really losing her. What if he's going after only to prevent losing her, instead of wanting to be with her? It's Jude. She will give in eventually," he reminded Portia with a look of defeat. "She always does…" Even though she had played hard until now.

Jude couldn't believe what she was hearing. Even Kwest, who had proven to be a real friend the last weeks, was doubting – even now – that she was strong enough to resist Tommy's smile. Anger rose in her and she heatedly spun around, disappearing behind a rack of clothes, eager to hear the rest of their talk. Sadly it ended there and Kwest and Portia left for lunch.

Lunch… Right, she was on her way to ask Kwest if she could leave earlier. Last night had been great, having spent the evening with David in a fancy club, dancing closely, even a little more than that, and then he had been the perfect gentleman and after a fairly long make out session in his car, he had safely delivered her home. That day they were supposed to meet for lunch and since she couldn't find Tommy, she could only tell Kwest that she wanted to leave.

And now he was gone, too. Great!

Jude's focus shifted from Kwest, who was walking out of the front door with Portia, towards the rack of clothes she was hiding after. Were those Bikinis? Wasn't she the only female artist currently recording at G-Major? Why were there Bikinis?

"You'd look stunning in them," someone said so out of nowhere. Jude shrieked and jumped in surprise.

"Damn, Quincy! Where the hell did you come from and why are you lurking around racks of clothes?"

"I could ask you the same," he countered, returning her flushed but angry expression with a charismatic smirk. "I brought you lunch, since I figured you'd be hungry. Pizza with double cheese and pepperonis."

"Thanks." Her nose involuntarily noticed the smell of olive oil, tomato sauce, and cheese. She bet he had waited in line at that Pizza place for at least fifteen minutes! Good-looking and smelling of food was a dangerous concoction, but Jude willed herself to ignore that. "I'm having a date, and he is waiting for me. Now that you're here I can officially tell you that I'm out for lunch. Bye!" She straightened up, pushed the rack away from her and walked away. His scent proved to be difficult to get over, and she needed space between them, afraid she might take a bite at his earlobe. That'd be more than humiliating! Yummy and maybe even a little kinky, but totally embarrassing.

Halfway down the stairs Tommy caught her side. "Wait, where are you going?" He looked…hurt. Disappointed. Damn, she thought, he was one fine actor! As if she'd believed him!

"David. He's waiting for me." She reminded him.

"Oh right." Tommy took two steps at once and blocked Jude's way.

Startled, she frowned. "What now?"

"Don't go," he pleaded, leaning closer, smiling flirtatiously. "Eat here, with me."

Jude's eyes softened; her lips parted for a sweet beam. Her head leaned closer to him, and she saw his smile widening. He probably believed he was winning. Placing one of her hands gently on his shoulder, she neared his ear with her mouth, fighting the urge to lick and taste, whispering, "I can't. Someone more important is waiting for me." Leaning back, smugly smirking, she patted his cheek, belittling. "Have fun with your pizza."

She walked past him, proud at her victorious moment when she was tugged towards Tommy's office, his hand having a firm but strangely soft hold on her arm. "Quincy," she protested, knowing it was useless.

"Stop it," he told her harshly, outraged even. "The whole number about David?" He nudged her into his office, and closed the door with a slam. "You're doing this to annoy me, and here I am, admitting it does. That means you can stop doing it now!"

Jude pulled out of his hold and gaped at him. With arms crossed in front of her while she took a defying pose. "I _what_?"

"Dating David," Tommy said self-complacently. "Please! He's not nearly man enough for you!"

She started laughing, sneering when she said, "Oh, and you think you are? See, from what he told me yesterday he pretty much put you into place the other day. That tells me he is more man than you are. Let's say I do take your advice and go for someone who is more man. Whom should I go for, since you're not qualified enough…" She tapped a finger against her chin, pondering, before delivering her blow. "You think Chaz is available?"

He scoffed dramatically, trying his hardest not to get infuriated. "Funny. I almost laughed. You want to play dirty? That's fine with me. Go ahead and call Chaz, I'm sure he'll love the opportunity to show you how much man he really is. Be prepared for disappointment. David," he said sternly, getting close to her once more, "is not for one second what you need. He never will be!"

"Why not," Jude asked straight out, not backing away. Instead, she shot another arrow. "He's good-looking, nice, and attentive. He's funny, and sweet, and his lips are mind-blowing!"

"My lips are better," Tommy haughtily professed. He stepped away when her dark eyes had his body reacting in a very inconvenient way. She was getting to him in ways he didn't know how to handle, and in lack of any better ideas, he bragged. "I look better, I smell better, and I don't even _have_ to be attentive to see that you love it when I'm _not_ being nice!"

Fists balled at Jude's sides. "Can you spell 'conceited'?" She huffed heavily and stepped towards Tommy, eyes hard and dark. "You are the most arrogant, audacious, and annoying person I've met in my entire life! You had your chance with me, and you blew it! Now I'm with David, and he's more than satisfying!"

"No," Tommy corrected, taking his own step towards her. Thoughts of hiding his forming arousal were as far from his mind as letting her have the last word. She tried to back away, but the door was blocking her exit. His hands went flat against the door on both sides of her head, and his face came impossibly close. "I never had my chance with you."

She could smell his sugary breath and wanted to quip about it. She could see the sparkling blue in his intense eyes and wanted to compliment about it. She could take in his warmth and his masculine scent and wanted to pull him closer. She felt a familiar heat between her legs, and wondered how high it'd rise once they took things to another level. She was aware of his ragged respiration. A piece of her wanted to thrust her hips forward, yearning to find out if he was hard. She felt aroused, why shouldn't he? Was it weird to feel…eager…while fighting? Not that she'd ever allow him to have her, should he be 'eager' too! No! Pff! As if! She was mad at him after all! "And you want to change that now?" she asked in disbelief, hating herself for the quiver in her voice and the weakness in her knees.

"What if I say yes," he whispered, coming yet another increment closer. The heat in his breath set her skin on fire. He was close enough to kiss her, should he want to. Jude wondered if he planned to.

In that moment she remembered Kwest's words. "_She will give in eventually. She always does…_" Thanks to him she found the strength to end this. Ducking and slipping out beneath his arms, she made sure there were at least a few feet between them. "That's too sad," she bitterly countered. "It'll be a waste of your time and your _material_. I know David struck a nerve. You want to prove to him you're more of a man than he is. What better way than to charm your way into my sheets…"

"That's not it," he barked, anger still flaring inside him. "What does it take for you to believe me?"

"Tell me that you have truly, completely, and honestly fallen deeply in love with me." Jude had not planned on saying that, but now that it was out, why beat around the bush? "That's what it'll take for you to make me believe you. Until then, you've only got a slim chance to gain back my friendship. You want more? Show me that you really need me, that it hurts not to have me, and most important – I need to know that I can break your heart, before I'll even consider allowing you to break my heart again!"

He stayed silent. Sparks? Yes. Did he like her more than he should, more than he had liked someone in a damn long time? Yes. Love? That is one big word!

"That's what I thought," Jude said, allowing her self a brief moment of sadness. Just a moment, and then she'd be the tough girl again with no one being able to scratch her heart.

"You aren't in love with David," Tommy told her, unwilling to let this talk end.

"Neither are you in love with me. Yet, you asked me out."

"I will ask you out again, Jude. I will ask you out until you say 'yes'." Okay, it surprised him just how vehement he was, but well…it was Jude. "I can't tell you what you want to hear. But, I can tell you that I want you. I can tell you that you're in my thoughts, in my dreams, and under my skin. And I know you feel the same. Don't lie to me and tell me you don't feel the sparks when I touch you. Don't lie to me and tell me my kisses mean nothing more to you than his do. I felt the difference in your lips, Jude. There's passion between you and me, and whether you like it or not, you and David will never have that!"

Jude offered a mere nod, acknowledging his words. "Hm…let's see: With him I have trust, fun, hot kisses and more, and with you I have passion. Even without the fun or the hot kisses, I'll still choose him. Trust, Tommy. I can't say I trust you."

He sighed, slouching his shoulders defeated. "Will you ever get over me and your sister?"

"It's not even it." She walked towards the door, opening it. On her way out, she looked at him once more. "How will I know I'm more to you than a notch in your bedpost? A win over another guy…"

"I can't tell you that I'm in love with you." He pleaded for her understanding.

"Why not?" she asked bluntly, just for the briefest second baring her soul to him, letting him see there was still the young and naive girl in her that dreamed of nothing more but his love, no matter how good she had become in being wiser and hiding those foolish parts of her.

"Because…" he trailed off, not even knowing why he was so incapable to answer.

Jude closed her eyes and collected her strength. Then she looked at him coldly. "Because," she answered for him, "you don't feel it! Stop asking me out!"

"No!" He refused firmly.

"I'll never say yes," she declared and walked out.

Not even a second later he was once more blocking her way. "Fine," Tommy proclaimed, his face stern, "You think you're just a challenge? Okay. Let's say you are. I have never lost one. Don't you, not even for one second, believe I will lose this one! I will have you in my arms, Jude. And you will come on your own! You will beg me to take you, but even more, you will beg me to take you _again_ and _again_!"

"Never," she fired fiercely, raging over his arrogance.

"Wait and see."

"Is that a bet," Jude asked, baiting. If he really believed she gave in, he'd be in for a surprise.

"What if it is," he dared her.

Jude smiled. "You have until my birthday to do the impossible and make me beg for you. If you fail, I'll get your new car. The shiny red Ferrari."

Arrogance overcame him. "Deal. And if I win, you'll shoot David to the moon and we'll have sex, because I know you _will_ beg for it!" They shook hands, and Jude grinned as victoriously as Tommy did. She wanted this over, once and for all. And what better way to be clear than taking a fortune away from him!


End file.
